Harriet Gertrude Reynolds

Harriet Gertrude Reynolds (née Mudd), of Tulsa, Okla., died Saturday, March 18, 2017. She was 98 years old. Gertrude is survived by her three children, David Reynolds and Susan Roberts of Tulsa, and Daniel Reynolds of Stillwater, and her 11 grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, John Wesley Reynolds of Tulsa, and her son, Thomas Wesley Reynolds of Tulsa, her brother, James J. Mudd of Tulsa, and her sister, Rose Alice Delmore of Tulsa. Gertrude was born on February 22, 1919, in Welch, Okla., to Mary Joseph Wimsett and Thomas O. Mudd. She grew up with three siblings Rosie, Jay, and Becky, living and working on the family’s farm through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. After she graduated from Welch High School, she moved to Tulsa, where she attended Tulsa Business College to study secretarial skills. She worked as a secretary for Jones and Laughlin Steel Company, and later for several Tulsa attorneys. In 1946, she married John Wesley Reynolds, a Tulsa jewelry store owner and gem appraiser. From 1949 to 1960, the couple welcomed four children. Gertrude worked as a homemaker and mother, all while also handling all the bookkeeping, typing, and accounting for Wesley’s jewelry store—plus bringing daily sack lunches to family members working in the store. Friends and family remember her as a serene person, or, as daughter Susan puts it, “strong and calm.” Her greatest joy was her family, Susan says, and especially her grandchildren. Her eldest grandchild, Jillian Mosher, recalls Gertrude teaching her to sew. “Grandma is the first person to trust me with a needle and thread in my hands,” says Jillian, who today sews frequently. “Grandma is infused into my day-to-day domesticity, through her good habits, recipes, even down to the furniture I was given by her for my new home.” Jessie Reynolds, her second-eldest grandchild, remembers putting together puzzles on the card table in Gertrude’s living room. Jessie would play music, and says Gertrude liked “Still Holding On” by Martina McBride. “She used to say it was ‘our’ song,” Jessie says. Patrick Reynolds, one of her grandsons, says one of his favorite memories was of “helping” Gertrude cook. “She taught me how to crack eggs with one hand... that was always fun,” he says. A rosary will be held 7 p.m. Thursday March 23, at Fitzgerald Funeral Service Southwood Colonial Chapel, preceded by a visitation from 5 to 7 p.m. A funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, March 24 at Calvary Cemetery chapel. Father Jack Gleason will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend. The family asks that in lieu of sending flowers, please donate to Catholic Charities.

Harriet Gertrude Reynolds

February 22, 1919 - March 18, 2017