William F. Reynolds

William Francis Reynolds, aged 95, passed away of pneumonia on March 9, 2025, ten months after the death of his beloved wife, Pauline. Bill was born on January 31, 1930, the son of William L. and Grace [Devlin] Reynolds. Bill grew up in Dorchester, and lived there until he was married. Bill was lucky to be part of a close-knit family, in which many aunts and uncles, especially his aunt, Elizabeth Devlin, played a huge part in his life. From his earliest childhood, Bill was in love with learning and with knowledge itself. After attending the Thomas J. Kenny school, Bill became an enthusiastic member of the Boston Latin School class of 1946. Bill then attended Holy Cross, where he studied mathematics and graduated with highest honors in 1950. As a Ph.D. student at Harvard, Bill was grateful to study under the renowned German mathematician Richard Brauer, who directed his dissertation. Bill received his master’s degree in 1951 and his Ph.D. in 1954. During his student years, Bill also served in the Massachusetts National Guard, where he played trumpet and French horn in the band. Bill had the opportunity to march in the Inauguration Day parade and to catch a glimpse of Eisenhower and Nixon in 1956. He later recalled that it was not so easy to march up Capitol Hill while playing a brass instrument! After an instructorship at MIT, Bill began teaching in the math department at Tufts University in 1957. He would stay at Tufts for 41 years, eventually holding the title of William Walker Professor of Mathematics from 1970-1998. Bill loved the Tufts community dearly. He always felt that it was a privilege to witness and to be part of Tufts’s growth and transformation from a commuter school to a world-class university. Bill was instrumental in developing the math department’s graduate program. He taught courses on many subjects, but his main field was the representation theory of finite groups.As important as his work was to him, Bill’s greatest devotion was to his wife and daughters, as well as to the many elderly relatives whom he helped care for over the years. In the mid 1950’s, Bill began attending meetings of the Catholic Graduates’ Club of Greater Boston, thanks to the encouragement of his brother, Jack Reynolds, who had met his wife, Cathy, there. Bill met his future wife, Pauline Fitzgerald, through the club in 1958. While the club hosted many activities, it is appropriate that Bill and Polly first met in their book group. Their mutual intellectual curiosity connected them, and forty years later, once Bill had retired, they relished having the time to participate in several neighborhood book groups together. After Bill and Polly were married in 1962, they settled in Belmont, where Polly had grown up. Polly and Bill became parents later in life, welcoming daughter Nancy in 1969 and Jane in 1975. Bill was a very involved father, especially for a man of his generation; he spent innumerable hours driving carpools and supporting his daughters’ school activities. Bill was also committed to his church community and his neighborhood. In their retirement, Bill and Polly were active in the Friends of the Benton Library, an organization which worked to restore the Everett C. Benton Library after it had been temporarily closed. Bill was delighted to become a
grandfather at age 77, and he doted on his two grandchildren. Bill set an extraordinary example for all who knew him with his patience, his gentleness, his sense of humor, and his honesty. He loved music, history, and science fiction. He kept on challenging himself intellectually even in extreme old age, publishing a paper in the Journal of Algebra at age 89, at the same time that he was taking a course in New Testament Greek for fun. He was passionate about climate change, especially after his grandchildren were born. Bill is survived by his daughter, Nancy (spouse, Susan Harris) of Chicago; his daughter, Jane (spouse, Bryan Ho) of Lexington; and his grandchildren, Jinx Harris and Catherine Ho. He is also survived by many nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. Bill was predeceased by his wife of 61 years, by his parents, and by his brother, John J. Reynolds. The family would like to express their gratitude to the caretakers who helped us in Bill’s
final years: first, Donna Ings and the home health aides from Home Instead of Lexington, and then the team at Brightview Arlington, where Bill resided for the last two years of his life,
particularly Lisa Sabatino, Lesley Blaise, and Vanessa Melanson. Visiting hours at the Brown & Hickey Funeral Home, 36 Trapelo Road, Belmont, on Friday, March 14, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, March 15, from 9:30-10:00 a.m. Funeral mass at St. Peter Church, 100 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, on Saturday, March 15, at 10:30 a.m.. All are invited to join the family after the mass for the interment at Highland Meadow Cemetery, 700 Concord Avenue, Belmont, followed by a buffet lunch at The Chateau Restaurant, 195 School Street, Waltham. Donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, P.O. Box 181020, Coronado, CA 92178 https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ or to Friends of the Benton Library, P.O. Box 425, Belmont, MA 02478 or https://ecbentonlibrary.org/.

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