Funeral services for Mrs. Shirley Upton Reynolds will be held on Friday, February 03, 2023 at 1:00 pm at First Baptist Church of Newton. Burial will follow in Newton County Memorial Gardens under the direction of Newton County Funeral Home, North Chapel, 9998 Hwy. 15 N, Newton.
Dr. Frank Harmon will officiate and music will be provided by Miss Dianne Nelson, Mr. Jeff Hardy and Mrs. Rita Bearden.
Mrs. Reynolds, 89, of Newton, passed away Thursday, January 26, 2023, at the Bee Hive Homes of Marion. She was a native of Leake County and a graduate of Walnut Grove High School. She attended East Central Junior College, where she played on the women's basketball team, was selected Miss ECJC by the student body, and was the editor of the school newspaper, the WO-HE-LO. She also attended Millsaps College in Jackson, where she furthered her education. In 1954, Shirley married Dr. R.J. Reynolds, and they settled in Newton at Mrs. Johnson's boarding house. They built a home in Newton and lived there for over fifty years. After R.J. died, she relocated to Texas to be near her family in 2008. She was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Newton. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend who will be dearly missed, and her legacy will live on in the lives of those who loved her.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. R. J. Reynolds; one son, Jeff Upton Reynolds; her parents, Johnny Ray and Bernice Prisock Upton and one brother, Charles Upton.
Survivors include two sons, Dr. Joel Reynolds (Oney) of Meridian and Dr. Tim Reynolds (Susan) of Conroe, TX; one brother, Sonny Upton of Decatur; four grandsons, Jamey Reynolds (Caitlin), of Houston, TX; Logan Reynolds (Kristen) of College Station, TX; Chase Reynolds of Gulfport, and Taylor Reynolds of Meridian; one granddaughter, Holly Broussard (Jeff) of Houston, TX; four great- grandchildren, Ellie, Matthew, Lucas, and Owen; one sister-in-law, Nell Ward of Brandon; several nieces and nephews.
Serving as pallbearers will be Johnny Upton, Scott Upton, Randy Reynolds, Jamey Reynolds, Chase Reynolds, Logan Reynolds, and Jeff Broussard.
Serving as honorary pallbearer is Taylor Reynolds.
The family wishes to acknowledge with sincere appreciation the staff of Bee Hive Homes of Marion, and also her caretakers Gracie Ruffin Moore, Darlene Gibbs, Shenetha Bender, Lois Hudson, Teresa Flemings, Rita Wright and Suzanne Naylor.
Visitation will be held on Friday, February 3, 2023 from 11:00 am until service time at the church on Friday.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church, 307 East Church St., Newton, or to the Gideon's International, Inc, P.O. Box 297, Newton, MS 39345.
An online guestbook may be signed at www.newtoncountyfuneralhome.com.
Paid Obituary
