David Caldwell Reynolds

REYNOLDS, David Caldwell, who was a devoted husband, supportive father, grandfather to 14 and driven business leader, died on January 29, 2023 in Richmond, Va. He was 80. David was born in Washington, D.C. to Margaret and Arthur Reynolds on June 3, 1942. While he was born in D.C., he was raised along with his brothers, Arthur and William, in Raleigh, N.C. He attended Needham Broughton High School and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where, in addition to his academics, he served both in the NROTC and as President of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. While at UNC, he developed a permanent addiction to Tar Heels basketball, which may have partially contributed to his heart surgery in 1996, but also brought him tremendous joy, most acutely when collecting winning bets from his lifelong Blue Devils friends.

After graduating from UNC, he served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1966. Following his time in the Navy, he earned an MBA from Emory University in Atlanta and then moved to New York City. In New York, through some form of divine intervention, he attended a party hosted by a childhood neighbor, where he met the love of his life, Beverly Ward. Bev and David were married on December 13, 1969 and were devoted to each other for forty-five years until her passing in 2014.

After living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for seven years, they moved to Richmond, Va. in 1975 and their serendipitous choice of a home on Allen Avenue in the Fan District led to lifelong friendships that provided immense joy and support over decades. David was a successful rising executive at Arthur Young when he decided to join Miller Manufacturing in 1984 as President, later becoming CEO of the firm. While at times the stability of a "Big Four" Accounting and Consulting firm may have looked easier, David was energized by the opportunity to lead a Richmond based manufacturing company and relentlessly dedicated himself to improving and growing the company while providing good jobs and fair wages. He was an ardent believer in the importance of business and American industry and the positive impact stable jobs provided to people and communities. His children have permanently etched memories of his true appreciation and respect for the department managers, production engineers and long serving floor workers. David reluctantly retired from Miller in 2004 as a result of the early impacts of Parkinson's disease.

David was an accountant by training and prudent saver by nature; however, he was also a true optimist and dreamer and he was willing to make wildly speculative investments when it counted the most. He served as financial backer, CFO, Head of Strategy, bar tender and coat valet for the Reynolds Gallery. Bev's vision of a contemporary art gallery in Richmond, Va. in the 1970s would not have lasted a year without David's behind the scenes efforts, support and judgement. Their partnership resulted in the remarkable success of the Reynolds Gallery, which continues to this day under their daughter, Alice Livingston and Julia Monroe. David also made what some may have considered irrational investments in his four children, not just in their schools and colleges, but he also staked and backstopped each of them in their first moves to New York City and Austin. He had a shrewd eye for long-term compounding and supported their children's growth through engagement rings, rehearsal dinners and wonderful weddings, as well as their home in the place they loved, Woods Hole, Mass. The Woods Hole house is filled with memories of David and Bev and has provided the venue for years of laughter, loud dinners and riotous game nights with lifelong friends.

David had an iron will sheathed in a gentle exterior. He had a great sense of humor and a terrific smile. He was deeply committed and loyal to people he believed in and respected, but he did not suffer fools gladly and wasn't afraid to speak up for himself and others. He had great moments of joy and success, but suffered a long, slow degradation at the hands of Parkinson's and Bev's death from cancer. He co-founded the Movers and Shakers patient advocacy group and worked to create the Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center at VCU in 2011. He carried the burdens of disease and loss with grace and fortitude. His family is deeply appreciative of the devotion and care of Duane Lemly and the entire Westminster Canterbury staff that supported him.

David is survived by his and Bev's four children, Quentin and his wife, Sarah, Alec and his wife, Laura, Alice Livingston and her husband, Mac, Margaret Jones and her husband, Will; and by his brothers. He was predeceased by their first son, David. He was given the name "Pops" in a Starbucks parking lot and he adopted the name and responsibility with relish to his fourteen amazing grandchildren, Caldwell, Quinn, Jackson, Pierce, Elliott, Griffin, William, Helen, Lillian, Clark, Dudley, Lola, Arthur and Oliver, all of whom will carry on his drive and joy for life.

He was a great man, who stayed true to himself, was deeply loved and will be forever missed.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 4, at St. James's Episcopal Church, 1205 W. Franklin St., Richmond, Va., followed by a reception held at 12:30 p.m. at The Reynolds Gallery, 1514 W. Main St., Richmond, Va. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts be made in memory of David to either the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU (https://www.support.vcu.edu/give/ica) or the Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center at VCU (www.parkinsons.vcu.edu).