Joseph Martin (Marty) Reynolds who spent much of his life studying physics, working on computers, operating and maintaining ham radios, riding motorcycles, and enjoying his family, died on Friday, April 2, 2010. He was sixty-nine years old. A dedicated scientist, Marty Reynolds excelled in physics at St. Xavier High School and Xavier University in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. While attending The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta for graduate school, he conducted research in nuclear physics and computer science earning a Master's Degree in Nuclear Physics. He spent the following years as an engineer and business development executive and contractor advisor with Sun Microsystems, ASTI, Bull, and various other technology companies in the Southeastern U.S. Often building computers and audio equipment, and restoring motorcycles from secondhand parts, Mr. Reynolds was known for finding simple, elegant solutions to complex problems on which others had given up. His love for excellently engineered equipment and mechanical or electronic antiquities knew almost no bounds. Once something was invented, acquired, or restored, it was then “collected” and consigned to inventory in one of his several Atlanta houses. A family friend of Marty's recollects his desire to share his interest with his young children by letting them visit the control room at the Georgia Tech Research Nuclear Reactor Facility and delight in the sights, sounds, gauges, and blinking lights. Relatives and friends cherish his memory and recall his visits to their homes, where, at the slightest mention, he would quickly return a wireless network to active duty, or reprogram a recalcitrant electric garage door opener. Last year, he took flight instruction and soloed in an effort to experience and better understand the challenges and accomplishments of his son, Jeff, who is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He and his wife were filled with joy later in his life when his daughter, Aimee, gave birth to their two beautiful twin granddaughters. Mr. Reynolds was known for his incisive and irreverent wit. He was always modest about his accomplishments, even as former classmates and professors sought him out to hear his current opinions on the latest political and cultural fads. He loved to be surrounded by family and friends, and laughingly engage in conversations about the most recent pseudo-scientific developments. The son of Aimee Brown Reynolds and Joseph B. Reynolds, a co-founder of Bartlett and Company of Cincinnati, Joseph Martin Reynolds was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 14, 1940. He is survived by his wife, Janet Kathleen Reynolds; his son, Jeffrey Martin Reynolds; his daughter, Aimee Reynolds DuRant; son-in-law, Henry Hill DuRant, III; twin granddaughters, Elizabeth Reynolds DuRant and Margaret Elliott DuRant; and his trusty dog, Hypotenuse. He is also survived by a brother, James B. (Rick) Reynolds and will be missed deeply by his sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews. Services will be held at 2 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta on Monday, April 5, 2010. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 2855 Briarcliff Rd., N.E, Atlanta, GA 30329 or St. Xavier University, 3800 Victory Pkwy, Cincinnati, OH 45207. A. S. Turner & Sons
