Jeffrey Paul Reynolds

1956 ~ 2020

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Nov. 11, 2020
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
1950 E. Dimple Dell Road, Sandy, Utah
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  • Jeffrey Paul Reynolds passed away in the early hours of Friday, November 6, 2020. His cherished wife and eternal companion, Mary Kaye, was at his side, as she has been for the past 42 years. His physical body was ultimately overcome by sepsis and multiple organ failures due to complications of treatment for metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.

    Jeff, the red-haired son of Richard and Iris Reynolds, was born May 25, 1956 in Salt Lake City, UT. Raised in his parents’ adorable 3-bedroom home in the Avenues with his three siblings, he grew into the hard-working, honest, supportive man we know and love.

    Jeff was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in the Philippines Cebu City Mission from 1976 to 1978. Following his mission, he met his eternal companion, Mary Kaye Jones. They both grew up in the Ensign Stake and were acquainted, but after talking with her following a Stake Young Adult Fireside he went home and told his mother, “I’ve met a girl! And she’s blonde and has blue eyes.” Within two days they had their first date. After a solid month of being together every day, going to the movies, Salt Lake Gulls baseball games, a host of fun hikes, picnics, and outings to Temple Square, they knew it was a match made in heaven. Jeff and Mary Kaye were engaged on Father’s Day, and married and sealed together for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple on October 6, 1978.

    The next several years of their lives were spent raising their family of four boys and attending countless ball games. Jeff always made time for his boys and ball, whether it was taking his oldest son to the church to play basketball at the break of dawn, or playing catch in the backyard every night after dinner. As his boys grew and began to throw harder, he found a left-handed catcher’s mitt (which is no easy feat) to better protect his hand as he sat on a five gallon bucket receiving fastball after fastball. He taught the boys to play hard, with dignity and respect.

    Hard-work was Jeff’s default. This defining attribute was always on display during his 35-year career as a carpenter at Primary Children's Hospital. When Christmas rolled around each year, you could count on him putting in the extra hours as he coordinated the Festival of Trees for the engineering staff at Primary Children’s Hospital. His indomitable work-ethic rubbed off on his sons, helping them achieve success in all aspects of their lives.

    One achievement of which Jeff was always proud was attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. He earned his Eagle Scout award as a young man, which held a place of honor in his dresser drawer, along with the green sash displaying his 21 merit badges. He placed a great deal of emphasis on Boy Scouts and the Eagle Scout ranking with his four boys. His example and encouragement may have been enough, but he left nothing to chance by incentivising the honor: no driver’s license without first earning your Eagle Scout Award. As Marc received his award, Jeff and his three oldest boys proudly sat in the Eagles’ Nest, happy that the youngest had completed the sweep.

    You won’t find a more selfless, stoic man than Jeff. His devotion to the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah Utes was constant through the years, but it wasn’t until after the boys had grown up and started families of their own that he had time to spend on his interests and hobbies. He fell in love with Alaska and relished Alaskan fishing trips with his sons. They always returned with enough halibut to fill the freezer. He loved working on a good jigsaw puzzle, collecting coins, and catching new releases in the movie theater. He and Mary Kaye were season ticket holders for the Utah Stars and enjoyed getting to as many games as possible. And, of course, he loved watching his grandkids play ball. He spoiled them with candy and Dollar Tree treasures at every opportunity and was always ready with a dollar for the concession stand. He loved food, too—but only a small subsection of it. Jeff was a true connoisseur of the three major food groups: meat, potatoes, and ketchup.

    He was as frugal as they come; deliberate and intentional with his savings. No piggy bank was big enough for his generosity (or his loose change). His boys remember their bears full of pennies—two-foot-tall plastic bears with coin slots in the top of their heads. Jeff would announce that it was time for pennies and the boys would grab their impossibly heavy banks, drag them up the stairs, one step at a time, and haul them into their Dad’s bedroom to add piles of change to their bears.

    Jeff was a great man of few words who taught and led by example. Like all of us, he fell short of perfection in this life, but he was the sort of man who commanded the respect of his peers simply because of the dignified and straightforward way he carried himself. Never outspoken, if Jeff felt something needed to be said he would say it, and you could be sure it was important.

    Jeff is survived by his caring wife of 42 years, Mary Kaye; his four strapping sons and their beautiful wives: Todd (Brooke), Weston (Missy), Cameron (Leila), and Marc (Jensen); 8 exuberant grandchildren: Ellie, Savannah, Cooper, Jackson, Boston, Grace, Jones, and Isabel; his angel mother, Iris; and his three siblings and their spouses: Chris, Mike (Lisa), and Carrie (Brad). He was preceded in death by his father, Richard, and his brother-in-law, Jim.

    The Reynolds family is very grateful to Dr. Gregory Litton and the entire staff at Utah Cancer Specialists for their tender care, their devotion to Jeff, support and love to MaryKaye, and for being their second family for the past 27 months. Their\ association with you will be missed.

    A viewing will be held Wednesday, November 11 from 5:00–8:00 PM at Larkin Sunset Gardens in Sandy (1950 E. Dimple Dell Road (10600 S.)). If you would like to offer your condolences in person by attending the viewing, please wear a mask and refrain from physical forms of affection, such as hugs and handshakes, as we exercise proper social distancing. Capacity will be limited by current Salt Lake County guidelines.

    A private family service will be streamed Thursday, November 12 at 11:00 AM. If you would like to view the service, use the following link: https://youtu.be/sYW4EzkP-CI

    To help us honor Jeff’s legacy, please consider donating to Five for the Fight to contribute to ongoing cancer research: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/in-loving-memory-of-jeff-reynolds


    Guestbook/Condolences

    We want you to know how much we love your family. We are so sorry to hear of Jeff’s passing. He fought a good fight. Try to be strong and know of the love that so many people have for your family. May the Lord bless you now and in the coming days. Love you guys


    - Shannon Schlappi

    Dear Sister Reynolds,
    We are sorry for your loss. We pray that you might be comforted during this hard time.

    We send hugs and our condolences.
    The Bensons


    - Maiara Benson

    Mary Kaye and family,
    We are so sorry and send our deepest sympathy’s . What a beautiful obituary and great tribute to your husband and father.
    FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!!
    Love Blaine & Sue Pace


    - Sue Pace

    Thanks for the beautiful tribute for Jeff. I enjoyed reading it and reminiscing how I admire Jeff and his family. He truly was a good person, committed to the best things in life. He leaves a great heritage and is prepared to receive eternal happiness.


    - Marv Johnson

    Sorry to here about Jeff I worked with up at PCH really special person
    My thoughts are with you st this time and the lord will bless you


    - Brian Gough

    What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful, man, father, son husband Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this next journey in life. He will never be far from your thoughts and heart, each day will pass and will bring you closer to when you get to be with him again.


    - Marilyn Richardson

    Dear Mary Kaye, Todd, Weston, Cameron and Marc. We were saddened to learn of Jeffrey's passing. We have enjoyed knowing your family thru the years. Best regards - Brent and RoLayne. May you have peace and comfort at this time!


    - RoLayne Bowen

    We were saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and brother. We will miss his friendly wave as he drove by and his big smile and firm handshake. We pray that the Holy Spirit will bring you comfort and strength today and in all the days ahead. Peace be with you.


    - Herb and Elizabeth Robertson

    What a beautiful remembrance of Jeff, I’m so sorry for your loss.


    - Annette Johnson

    I worked with Jeff at Primary Children’s for more than 20 years. Jeff told me about all his boys baseball games, every year / every game. He was proud of his kids and proud of his work. He was meticulous about every job he did. I’d deeply saddened to hear about Jeff passing. He was a great man and friend. Travis Harn


    - Travis Harn

    It broke my heart when I heard of Jeff passing. So many great memories of working with Jeff, coaching the boys with him, golfing and many more wonderful times with him. I pray for comfort and love for your family. I loved Jeff like a brother. He is true desciple of Jesus Christ. He will be greatly missed

    Love the lewis family


    - Kent Lewis

    We are so sorry for your loss. I have great memories of of the family gatherings at our Grandparents home, and I remember Jeff as being friendly and Kind. Mary Kay, you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.


    - Dale and Joanie Johnson

    We're so sorry to hear about Jeff's passing. That was a beautiful tribute to his life and accomplishments. I reflect often on the time we shared growing up and the happy memories with our families at Grandma and Grandpa Millers. The values and ethics we learned were reflected in the legacy of Jeff's life.
    Our thoughts and prayers are with you.


    - Lynn and Sue Johnson

    I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jeff, and my deepest condolences go out to your family. I got to know Jeff at Primary Children's Hospital Behavioral Health facility @ Wasatch Canyons. Our buildings have seen better days and he always had great ideas on how to remedy tweaks to projects. He always had a smile on his face and I found him to be very kind when he would stop in. We would also chat about sports, as my youngest daughter and Marc were both athletes and friends in high school. May peace be with your family with the loss of this wonderful man!


    - Janet Staker