Pastor Willie Reynolds, Sr.
By Beverly Belcher Woody
Pastor Willie Reynolds Sr. is celebrating his recent retirement from Patrick County Public Schools, serving as a school bus driver for 45 years! Pastor Reynolds is no stranger to hard work; he grew up on a tobacco farm.
Pastor Reynolds was born to Roosevelt Reynolds and Ellen Cobb and grew up on Trent Orchard Road with his eight brothers and three sisters. He was eight years old when he was first sent to the tobacco field and his first job was “worming.” As he grew, he tied the tobacco and hung the leaves in the barn to cure. He and his siblings would take turns staying up at night to make sure the fire did not go out in their flue-cured barns. When I asked if he ever considered being a tobacco farmer when he went out on his own, I got a resounding “no!”
Pastor Reynolds still managed to find time to have fun between school and the tobacco fields. He and his siblings would make “truckle-wheel” wagons from sycamore trees and would have races. The children also enjoyed playing baseball in their spare time.
All the siblings attended school in the local church on Trent Orchard Road. Pastor Reynolds recalled that a nice, young lady named Miss Harper came from Greensboro to be their teacher. She married a Mr. Hagwood from the area and served as the teacher for the entire seven years Pastor Reynolds attended the “church-school.” Pastor Reynolds remarked that he “did not know how that poor woman survived.”
Beginning in the eighth grade, Pastor Reynolds went to Patrick Central School in the Five Forks community. The commute on the school bus took an hour and 15 minutes each way.
On April 15, 1960, Reverend Robert Mann performed the wedding ceremony for Pastor Reynolds and his new bride, Miss Mary Elizabeth Tatum. Mary was the daughter of Lee Benton Tatum and Evelyn Hylton of Stuart. The Reynolds were married for 56 years before Mary passed away in 2016.
The couple had nine children in total, Willie Jr., Leander, Emmanuel, Lonnie, twins Robert and Roberta, Judy, Gracie, and Becky. Pastor Reynolds first supported his young family by working at Stanley Furniture; then, he began driving the school bus. After he would complete his morning school bus route, he would hang drywall until it was time to pick up the children from school in the afternoon.
When Pastor Reynolds first started driving the school bus, elementary and high school children rode the same bus. After several years, his route was changed to only traveling to Patrick Springs Primary School and Hardin Reynolds Elementary School.
As if having young children to raise, driving a school bus, and hanging drywall were not enough to keep one busy; thirty-eight years ago, Pastor Reynolds started a church! He has been the pastor of True Gospel Holiness Church since its inception and his son, Leander serves as assistant pastor.
Thank you, Pastor Reynolds, for taking the time to share some memories with me. Your work ethic is second to none. I pray that you have a long and enjoyable retirement
Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com.
