Patricia LaNell Reynolds' Obituary
Patricia LaNell Reynolds, a resident of Bixby, passed away May 3, 2021 at the age of 77. She was born August 7, 1943 to Pat Raymond Smith and Zora Novelle (Witt) Smith in Dallas, Texas.
After working for 30 years and retiring with perfect attendance from Southwestern Bell, many retirees would be ready to rest and take life a little slower.
But not Patricia Reynolds.
After she “retired”, she continued a life of devotion to her children and then grandchildren, and then expanded that circle of love to include hundreds of martial arts kiddos.
As a Christian, she decided some time back, that when it was her time to go to heaven, she wanted it to be peaceful and without suffering. And that is exactly what happened on May 3rd.
Whether you knew her as Mom, Patricia, Trish, Pat, Nana, Mama Pat, or Grandma Pat, this woman impacted everyone she met with her radiating positivity, kindness, and pure love.
Born in Dallas, TX, she moved with her parents at 6 weeks old to California, where her dad, Pat Smith, worked for movie sets, and her mother, Novelle, became a nurse. Later returning to West Texas to go to school and grow up on their family farm, she graduated from Bledsoe High School with the 6 other people in her class.
With high school complete, she worked in several industries, including becoming a stewardess and running her family’s motel business. After meeting her husband, Jim, she became an operator with Southwestern Bell (literally when they still moved the plug-ins from hole to hole to connect the lines). She stayed there for the next 30 years, retiring as an Estimate Assigner. No, we still don’t know exactly what that means, but the achievement was important.
Although that would be a good lead into a story of relaxed retirement, that’s not at all what she wanted. This Elvis aficionado, game playing, fun loving woman was not at all done.
She went to work for Toys R Us for 15 years so she could be around kids, and she sandwiched that with working at the front desk of her son-in-law’s financial planning business, where she continued to use those amazing phone skills.
For the next 11 years, she took on one of her favorite roles - “Grandma Pat” at Martial Arts Advantage. There, she loved on, fed, helped with homework, celebrated gold stars, and played games with hundreds of kids and their families that each hold a special place in her heart. In 2019, she was honored for her devotion to children and the community, by being named a pioneering recipient of the International Martial Arts Medal of Merit.
Along with her 2 daughters, Tracy Hammons and Lisa Harris, who were blessed with her devotion as a mother, Patricia is survived by 2 stepsons (who were never referred to as stepsons), Beau & Daryl Reynolds, beloved grandchildren Kaitlyn Chambers, Kyle Kluding, Tori Waters, Taylon Hammons, Destiny Harris, Kailey Harris, Mercy Harris, Serenity Harris, Harmony Harris, Solomon Harris, Angie Reed, Bubba Reynolds, and Molly Riggs, and 10.5 great-grandchildren. Her treasured sister, Doreta Keith, and nieces and nephews were also very important to her. We all miss her, as do her friends and “grandkids” who aren’t listed above.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim Reynolds, and her parents. They missed out on some great Nerf Wars, gardening, puzzles, cruising, Words with Friends games, workouts, and culinary fun that she added to her last years.
Her closed casket visitation is from 11-6 on Friday, May 14, and her memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 15 at Floral Haven Funeral Home. She is to be buried with her husband at Fort Gibson National Cemetery in the days following.
FOR THOSE THAT CANNOT ATTEND THE SERVICE IN PERSON, PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS IN YOUR BROWSER OR CLICK ON THE LINK:
THE LIVE STREAM WILL START AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 AM. IF YOU DO NOT SEE THE LIVE FEED, PLEASE REFRESH THE PAGE UNTIL IT APPEARS
What’s your fondest memory of Patricia?
What’s a lesson you learned from Patricia?
Share a story where Patricia's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Patricia you’ll never forget.
How did Patricia make you smile?