THOMAS BYRNE REYNOLDS

Thomas Byrne Reynolds passed away unexpectedly at home on April 30, 2025, ending a long and valiant battle with prostate cancer. He was laid to rest in a private ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery on May 17th. A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 7 at 11 am, at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, 917 Lamar Street, Fort Worth. A reception will follow at BRIK Venue, 501 S. Calhoun St., Fort Worth. A member of a pioneer Texas ranching family, founders of the Long X Ranch in the Davis Mountains, Tom was also a gifted musician and visionary real estate investor, promoting redevelopment of historic buildings. He was a beloved husband, father, brother, and uncle, known to his family as “Fearless Leader.”

Tom was born on October 20, 1953, the second son of Watt W. Reynolds, Jr. of Fort Worth and Jane German of Midland. Following the untimely passing of Watt in 1957, Jane married the Reverend Dr. Carl Dietrich Reimers Jr., a Fort Worth native, in 1959; thus, Tommy and his brother Watt III moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where Carl was appointed Associate Dean of Princeton University Chapel. The family grew as Jane and Carl had a son, Carl Dietrich Reimers III. Besides gaining a younger brother, Tommy made lifelong friends. He was also shaped by the changing times and university culture of the 1960s, while returning to his Texas roots each summer to spend time at the family ranch with grandparents Watt and Grace Reynolds, and in Midland with grandparents Turner and Minnie German.

Tommy attended Miss Fine’s School, which subsequently merged with Princeton Country Day School to become Princeton Day School; there he began to study music. Having formed several high school bands, he persuaded jazz guitarist Jim Hall to accept him as a student. After graduating from Princeton Day School in 1972, he first attended Berklee College of Music, then transferred to Hampshire College where, under the Five Colleges Consortium, he auditioned and was accepted to study with jazz drummer Max Roach at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1974 he moved to San Francisco to perform professionally, yet his jazz muse led him back to Boston in order to privately study improvisation and composition with the legendary jazz educator, Charlie Banacos.

In 1978 Tom returned “home” to Fort Worth to help run the family business, Reynolds Cattle Company. In 1979 he married Karen Dewees of Fort Worth; although it never happened, Tom declared that, should he and his family end up living on the ranch, he would have the hottest country band for miles around.

As Tom and Karen started their family, he completed TCU’s Ranch Management Program and joined his brother Watt in managing the cattle company from the Fort Worth office. Between monthly trips to the Dalhart ranch, he performed with several local bands at parties and weddings; for many years, his favorite gig was a Friday evening jazz duo in the Kimbell Museum Louis Khan building lobby (great acoustics).

An interest in history led Tom into civic service; he volunteered on what would become Fort Worth’s Planning Commission, served as president of the city’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, and led the early Cultural District Committee (now the Cultural District Alliance). Believing in historic preservation, Tom invested in and developed several properties on the historic South Side, helping to spark that area’s cultural rebirth and economic growth.

Always eager to travel, Tom enjoyed repeated vacations in Carmel, California; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; New Orleans, Louisiana; Snowbird, Utah; and the Alsace region of France. His interest in the Alsace region was sparked during a Rotary International trip in 1988. The 36th Infantry Division, also called the “Lone Star Division” for its number of Texas enlistees, was integral to Alsace’s liberation from the Germans. The connection with Texas history, the outstanding viticulture, and most importantly, the wonderful people he met there in 1988 and on subsequent trips, all made a deep and lasting impression on Tom.

Tom’s stepfather, John N. Irwin II, introduced him to the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, where he quickly became a member because of his musical contributions to club life; for 30 treasured years he performed during the club’s summer encampment at the Bohemian Grove. He made a deliberate effort to maintain friendships old and new, frequently returning to Princeton for high school class reunions.

Tom was passionate about music and performing, whether playing blues, country, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, or beloved Christmas songs at the Old Frankford Church, an 1890s historic prairie church. After years with the popular party band, The RayBans, he joined Jim Milan’s Bucket List Jazz Band, helping to introduce classic big band music to a new generation of fans.

An active and vigorous man, Tom fought with hope and tenacity against prostate cancer for the last 11+ years of his life. Tom’s friends describe him as “a very special man” with a “FORTIFIED spirit,” possessing an “eternal optimism.” One dear friend stated, “Tom changed the course of my life by showing me what a combination of passion and discipline could achieve.” One beloved cousin states, “he taught me that I didn’t just have to be one thing. I could pursue multiple passions as long as I kept it real.” He was a member of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Tarrant County Historical Society, Fort Worth Stock Show board, Fort Worth Club, River Crest Country Club, Bohemian Club of San Francisco, and Confrérie St. Etienne.

Tom was preceded in death by his father Watt W. Reynolds Jr., mother Jane Irwin, brother Watt W. Reynolds III, stepfathers Carl D. Reimers Jr. and John N. Irwin II, and son William Charles Reynolds. He is survived by his wife, Karen D. Reynolds, son Thomas Byrne Reynolds Jr., daughter Grace Reynolds, brother Carl D. Reimers III and his wife Pamela, sister-in-law Maurie A. Reynolds, brother-in-law Charles B. Dewees III and his wife Debbie, stepsister Jane Irwin Droppa and her husband Larry, stepbrother John N. Irwin III and his wife Jeanet, niece Ellen Reynolds O’Glee and her husband Richard, nephew Watt W. Reynolds IV and his wife Jill, niece Grace Reimers Murphy and her husband Charlie, nephew Charles Damon Reimers, niece Amanda Dewees Griffin and her husband Tony, nephew Matt Dewees and his wife Riana, and numerous other cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to Arts Fifth Avenue, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, or a charity of your choice. The family wishes to thank the Reverend Brent Christian, Dr. Robert Kelly, Dr. Eugene Kwon, Dr. Asad Dean, Dr. Kevin Courtney, Dr. Vinay Dalal, Dr. Kezban Berberoğlu, Dr. Keith Pettibon, Dr. William Pipkin, Dr. James Brezina, infusion nurses Payten and Nina, the FWSO, the Bucket List Jazz Band, and countless nurses, pharmacists, radiologists, and their associated techs for their kind care over the years.