John Enright Reynolds, 86, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2023, under the loving care of his wife Ethel Ann Reynolds (née Lynch) in his Milford home. He was born on October 15, 1936, by mid-wife in New Haven to the late Catherine Mary Reynolds (née Enright) of Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland and the late William Joseph Reynolds of Mohill, Co. Leitrim, Ireland. Married to Ethel in 1965, he is also survived by sons Timothy and Kevin; daughter-in-law Lisa Reynolds (née Neri); grandchildren Sydney, Riley, and Kelsey; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his sisters, Catherine (Gordon) Stewart, Mary (Maurice) Condon, and Florence (Peter) Carroll, and brothers, William (Mary Ruth) and James.
He attended Saint Mary’s Parochial in New Haven until moving to Milford in 1947. After graduating Milford High School in 1955, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. An Atomic Veteran, his duties as AG2 aboard the USS Lansing, DER 388, included predicting wind direction during atomic bomb testing on the Bikini, Enewetak, and Johnston Atolls in 1958.
John’s professional career was dedicated to the advocacy of safe places for at-risk youth, protection of children, and keeping families together. Applying his studies at Southern Connecticut State College, University of Denver, and Smith College, he served as a social worker for the State of Connecticut, New Haven and West Haven school districts, and Casey Family Services of Bridgeport. After eleven-years as Division Director at Casey, he stepped back into field work with the State until his retirement in 2001.
In 1976, when the coach didn’t show to his son Timothy’s soccer game, John was nominated as the new coach by an impatient referee. He became an avid student and coach of the game, co-founded and served as the first president of Milford United Soccer Club. In 1980, he formed Milford’s first girls traveling soccer team, guiding them to regional and state success. Ethel and John led a life filled with travel, camping, bicycling, sailing, skiing, and most of all dancing. Retirement found them visiting grand-daughters in Seattle and on annual Atlantic-crossings on the Queen Mary 2 for travels between Paris, Rome, and London.
Family and friends are invited to gather on Friday, March 24, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Cody-White Funeral Home, 107 Broad St., Milford, CT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. that day at the Saint Mary Church (Precious Blood Parish), 70 Gulf St., Milford. Burial with Military Honors will follow at Saint Mary Cemetery, Buckingham Ave., Milford. The family thanks the team at Connecticut Hospice and aides Carol, Merlyn, Margaret, and Robert for their compassionate care of John and support of Ethel. Please consider a donation to Connecticut Hospice or Feeding America.
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