On the evening of May 15, 2017, Randy passed peacefully at home into the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after a fierce 5-1/2 year battle with leukemia. Sherry, his wife of fifty years, was at his side as were close friends, Clark and Cathy Cosby. Randy was 70 years old.
Randy was born in the town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at 8:56 AM on January 25, 1947. He was the second son of Ilene Leora and John Frederick Reynolds. Randy’s older brother, Butch, relates, “Randy was my 2nd year birthday present because he was born on my birthday except he was supposed to be baby sister, Sherry. ”
Randy lived in several different states and in England while his father served in the USAF. In Topeka, Kansas the family lived in an old farm house with a big tree out front. Randy and Butch would roll up comic books, stick them in their back pockets, and climb to the top of the tree to read out of reach of their little sister, Vicki. “She did not like that so much,” relates Butch, “But we did.”
In England, Randy’s family lived in an old three story brick house built in the 1700’s called Elkcot Manor. The house had many, many rooms and each with a fireplace. “From the 3rd floor window looking west across the valley on a clear day you could see the small town of Kintbury. Above the town you could see the outline of a gallows where the last person ( a woman) was executed by hanging,” relates Butch. The family lived there from 1956 to 1959. They traveled to England on the SS United States which was the 2nd largest cruise ship in the world at that time.
The Christmas of 1957 was especially memorable because all 3 children received brand new bicycles. That was the beginning of many adventures on bicycles in England. Randy and his brother rode their bikes about 20 miles one day to see a dirt bike race. Perhaps, that was the beginning of Randy’s fascination and love for motorcycles. He surely loved his motorcycles and his cars. He rode them, he drove them, he worked on them, watched them on TV, people gave them to him, and he raced them.
As a young boy Randy loved Lionel trains, matchbox cars, his bicycle, collecting stamps, and comic books. He often read at night with the light from bottled fireflies illuminating the pages. As a young adult he liked slot cars, often modifying them for speed. He also collected Hummel plates.
During his high school years Randy lived with his grandparents, Orville William and Cleo Latham, in Barton, Oregon. When his dad retired from the USAF, the rest of the family moved to Barton. Randy attended Estacada High School where he played basketball and ran track. He was a member of the National Honor Society. He graduated in 1965. Post high school he attended Portland State Community College. He had an interest in marine biology at that time.
Randy met his future wife, Sherry, when they worked together at a Diary Queen in a Portland, Oregon suburb in 1966. They married a year later in April. The Vietnam War was raging, and Randy enlisted in the US ARMY. Randy shipped out to basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington 11 days after they were married.
Randy received his initial Air Traffic Control training at Kessler AFB in Biloxi, MS. Randy spent 1971 in Vietnam at Khe Sanh and the CanTho Delta. He served a year in S. Korea in 1975. Sherry joined him in S. Korea as an unaccompanied dependent where their first child, Kecia, was born in May of that year.
Randy was honorably discharged from the US Army in 1976, attended school at the University of Oregon in Eugene, and hired that year by the FAA. Randy worked at Seattle Center in Auburn, Washington from 1976-1981 where he achieved journeyman status. Our son, Kelley, was born in 1978. From 1981-1987 Randy attended college, worked in a bicycle shop, and for the USPO.
Randy enlisted with the USN in 1987, and we left the NW to move to Cedar Hill, Texas where he worked at NAS Grand Prairie and then to NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He retired from the military in 1989 with 20 years of combined military service. He again started work with the FAA in 1998 in Helena, MT. He retired from the FAA in 2013 after serving 22 years and 11 months with the FAA and US Government. He loved ATC and always felt blessed that he could work at a job he really loved.
Randy received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology from Thomas A. Edison State College on March 15, 1999.
Randy was a devoted husband to Sherry and a devoted father to his children, Kecia and Kelley. He logged many miles and hours on the road between athletic and music events. He ate a lot of hoagies.
Randy’s interests were varied. He truly loved every part of life: walking the hills of Montana hunting the elusive elk, fishing the rivers and lakes of where ever he was, hiking the trails in Hawaii, body surfing in the Gulf of Mexico, shooting gophers with his friends, old Disney animated movies, his colorful Hawaiian shirts, Kauai coffee, a good book, a good movie, popcorn, all food, and “drive abouts.” Randy was privileged to meet all four of his grandchildren.
When things went amiss, he would say, “cheese and crackers.” One of his favorite sayings regarding his quiet spirit was, “it’s better to have people think you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” He was indeed a man of few words, but when he spoke, it was often profound.
Randy was an excellent marksman and a long time member of the NRA. He was not shy about writing the elected officials about guns rights. He also was a long time member of the AMA and likewise wrote many letters addressing public land use. He was passionate about buying things made in the USA.
Randy was a devout follower of Jesus Christ. He faithfully read though his Bible every year for many years. He really tried to live the example of Christ in his life. He gave of his financial resources to Focus on the Family, AFA, Samaritan’s Purse, Compassion International, St. Labre Indian School, Options Clinic, his local church, and many missionary families. Randy was a youth leader at HSBC. He and Sherry accompanied the youth on a mission trip to Brazil in 2005.
Randy was preceded in death by his mother, Ilene; his father, “Pops”; his mother-in law, Edna; and several brothers-in-law.
Randy is survived by his wife, Sherry; children Kecia and Kelley; grandchildren Alastair, Iola, Emily, and Katie; daughter-in law, Becki; brother “Butch” and sister Vicki; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial celebration of Randy’s life on June 3, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Hannaford Street Bible Church located at 830 N. Hannaford Street, Helena MT. Please wear Hawaiian if you can; Randy would love it.
Memorials can be sent to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at 825 Eastlake Ave. E, P.O. Box 19023, Seattle, WA 98109-1000.
We offer a special thank you to all the staff at St. Peter’s Cancer Center, the 2nd floor oncology staff, and all those who cared so much for Randy. Also, we also want to thank the University of WA Medical Center, and the staff at SCCA clinic who fought so diligently to save Randy’s life. A special thanks to Big Sky Cremation and Twitchell Funeral Home.
Randy’s ashes will be scattered at a later date on a Montana Mountain top per his wishes.
“Ride On Randy”
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