Elizabeth (Betty) Arnold Reynolds

November 27, 2021

Elizabeth Arnold Reynolds (“Betty”), 94, died peacefully on November 27, 2021, in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. Betty was born and raised in Barrington, Rhode Island. She graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, MA in 1944 with a degree in history. After graduation, she went to work for the phone company, where she caught the eye of her future husband, Gordon. They married in 1952 and enjoyed 68 years by one another’s side, demonstrating to all what unconditional love looked like. “An oar in every boat, a finger in every pie.” – This quote describing Betty in her college yearbook is the perfect way to sum up her personality and her life. She was always helping, always involved. In the 1960s, and 70s she was the quintessential stay-at-home mom with a seemingly endless supply of energy. She could always be found volunteering in some capacity at her church, her children’s schools, or out in the community. Her compassion for others knew no limits. Betty and Gordon loved to travel and took their children all over the country, showing them nature’s wonders and Betty’s favorite, anything historical. She and her husband took full advantage of their retirement years, enjoying many trips at home and abroad, including mission work in Honduras, multiple Elderhostel programs, and an adventurous rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. In 2005, they moved from Greensboro, NC to Holly Springs, NC to be near all their children and develop close bonds with their grandchildren. In her downtime, Betty was a voracious reader, completing as many as 80 books in a year and then using her deep vocabulary to beat opponents at Scrabble. Her family will always remember her as someone who loved a good laugh, even at herself. Betty is preceded in death by her parents, Preston Franklin Arnold and Louise Tracy Arnold, her brother, Franklin Greene Arnold, and her husband, Gordon Kershaw Reynolds. She is survived by her children, Paul Reynolds, Susan Gilbert (Andy), David Reynolds (Lynn), Anne Brock (Gerald), and seven grandchildren: Michael Gilbert, Steven Gilbert, Sharon Gilbert, John Reynolds, Emma Reynolds, Kelli Brock and Sydney Brock. A joint celebration of Betty’s and her husband Gordon’s life will take place at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 211 Union St., Cary, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that gifts be directed to the Church.