John L. Reynolds

John Lawrence Reynolds died at his beloved home in Tucson, Arizona on December 7th, 2022. John was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on August 9, 1952, and was raised in Wabash, IN. He lived a life filled with adventure, love, science and learning. He entered Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington to study astronomy and physics in 1970. Finances forced a 2-year purgatorial hiatus in East Chicago steel mills, but he worked his way back to IU, earning a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics in 1976, and a Master of Arts in Geophysics in 1978. He then joined Mobil Oil Corporation as an exploration geophysicist, and traveled worldwide helping the company locate new oil and gas deposits. Work took him to many countries, primarily throughout Africa. John also gained a life long partner...after 5 months at Mobil, John met his wife A-Lan on her first day of work as a geophysicist. He often recounted that as he shook her hand he felt an electric shock go through his whole body, and they both knew they were destined to be together for life, sharing an epic love for each other. Retiring from Mobil in 1999, John joined Pioneer Natural Resources until 2003, when he moved to Tucson with A-Lan and began an adjunct professorship with Pima Community College, teaching geology and weather/climate classes through 2019. John was a truly gifted teacher, inspired by the wonders of geology, the universe, and weather systems and uniquely able to make complex subjects easily understood. He was so proud to have taught several thousand students at Pima. He was a true renaissance man, with an infinite appetite for learning about many subjects including history, paleontology, paleobotany, anthropology and culture. He also loved his IU Hoosiers!! John donated generously to many charitable organizations throughout his life, with a goal of making other human (and animal!) lives better in his lifetime and for future generations. But he is most missed and loved by his friends and family for his humble, down-to-earth personality, his sense of humor, and his deep, sincere friendship. He is survived by his wife A-Lan, his daughter Janel, sisters Judy Bitz and Elizabeth Martin, and his brother Anthony Holman. In lieu of flowers, John would want donations made to Hope Animal Shelter in Tucson.