Lee James Reynolds

ASHEVILLE – Lee James Reynolds, age 72, of Asheville, died Monday, September 11, 2017. Mr. Reynolds was born December 24, 1944, in Oak Ridge, TN and was a resident of Buncombe County for 17 years. He was a graduate of Earlham College in Richmond, IN with a degree in Biology and obtained his Masters in Entomology from University of GA. Lee was employed by the US Forest Service as a plant taxonomist at the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab in Franklin, NC and later at the Forest Service Lab in Athens, GA, as an insect taxonomist. After the family moved to Asheville, he worked at UNCA as an adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, teaching avian ecology and tropical ecology. He was gentle and amazingly patient with our dogs, and trained our retrievers to the highest levels. Most of Lee’s hikes were accompanied by at least one dog. Having grown up on a farm in Indiana, he loved nature and was an excellent birder. Lee took great pride in his son’s debate skills at Asheville High, and his academic achievements at UNC and UNCG. He was preceded in death by his parents Leon and Ruth Toogood Reynolds and step mother Elsie Wall Reynolds. Surviving are his wife of 44 years, Dr. Barbara “Kitti” Foster Reynolds; son Ryan Levi Foster Reynolds of Arlington, VA; sister Katherine Jane Duff of Chapel Hill, NC; brother, Robert Sanford Reynolds of Hagerstown, IN and two nieces Susan Parkins of Albuquerque, NM and Dr. Barbara Griffith of Chapel Hill, NC. A memorial service will be held 2:00 pm Thursday, September 21, 2017 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Pl, Asheville, NC 28801. West Funeral Home is assisting the family. Those desiring to make a memorial contribution are encouraged to consider The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society, PO Box 18711, Asheville, NC 28814. For those who desire, condolences may be offered to the family under Mr. Reynolds’ obituary at www.WestFamilyFuneralServices.com.