Sylvester John Reynolds

Born August 15, 1920 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Johanna Victoria Zastrow Lauber Reynolds and William Joseph Reynolds. He was the first born of seven children to the Reynolds Family. He had two half sisters from the Lauber family, Irma and Margaret Lauber. The Reynolds children are: Sylvester, Robert, Edward, Ernst, Julian, Victor and JoAnn. He is survived by Victor Reynolds of Joshua Tree, California and JoAnn Gilbert of Ames, Iowa. He has many nieces and nephews ... too many to list here! The family will miss him immensely ... he is the first Reynolds to live past the age of 89. Syl was to marry Zonamae Johnson Haught on December 7, 1941 but Pearl Harbor was bombed that morning. So on January 11, 1942 they were married in Canoga Park in the living room of Reverand Koehler, a Methodist Minister and life long friend. Syl andZonamae had one child, a son, John Norden. He was named after Sylvester's middle name and his mother's adopted father Norden Haught. Dad's brother Bobby stuck the nickname "Nordie" on him and he has been Nordie to most of the family for 67 years. Syl was bitten by a rattlesnake at the Boy Scout Camp when he was 14 in the summer of 1934. When he was 17 he was on his paper route when he was struck by a delivery truck. It took them an hour to pry him and his bicycle from under the truck and behind the wheel and the firewall. He spent most of that year in the hospital in traction with pins in both feet. On October 23, 1939 he joined the National Guard. Enlisted in the Army on March 3, 1941, and called to duty on December 7, 1941. On his birthday, August 15, he was on a ship out of San Fransisco bound for Hawaii. From there he and his unit were sent to be the first wave of soldiers to hit the beaches of Guadalcanal. He remembered spending a month in a fox hole and seeing his best friend get shot because he went mad and stood up. When that campaign ended and he took off his helmet it was concave from rocks being thrown down on him in his foxhole and had a bullet hole from front to back just above the left ear. "They wouldn't let me bring home this helmet because of all the damage." From there he went to New Caladonia and New Hebridese. He was transferred to the Signal Corps as Lead Operator and switchboard operator and instructor. He told a great story about the night he had to "wake up the brass" because the Japanese fleet had changed directions and headed for the Phillipines. The war in the Pacific ended on his birthday, August 15, 1945. He left the Army and went home to live with Zona Mae and her family Norden and Mabel Haught on Homeside Avenue in West Los Angeles. Dad was blessed to work for Wilshire Tile Company ... the tile company to the stars. Yes Hollywood would be his beat. This tile company had exclusive contracts with the studios to work for the stars in their homes. Dad helped set the tile on the kitchen sink of Liberace's famous home in the hills while the now infamous piano swimming pool was being built in the back yard. He would have many stories to tell but sadly no autographs or pictures ... contract and studios forbid him to even ask for one ... so alii have are great stories. He would work for many stars such as Jerry Cologna, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Liberace, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth (wanted to marry him), Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis, Clifton Webb, Charles Boyer (he kept a coffin in his den with a mirror in it), Phyllis Diller (ask me about him and Fang), Susan Hayw~d, and many, many more. He retired from there and went to work driving for Hertz Rent A Car and, yes, once again Hollywood came calling. He would drive one of the limos to pick up the stars and drive them to the Red Carpet at the Grahman's Chinese Theatre. Rita still wanted to marry him when he drove her up to the carpet. Liberace and Jimmy Durante wanted to hire him as their chauffer. Jimmy even called our house and begged mother to move into his gate house on his property and he would take care of the family ... mom said no. He and Zonamae moved to live with John Norden in Covington, La. In May of 2008. Zonamae died one day after their 67th wedding Anniversary, January 12, 2009. He is survived by his son John Norden and his wife Juanita and her daughter Wana Smith and son Jeff Smith of Spokane, Washington, along with great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.