Dr. David Reynolds, a long-time resident of Topeka, Kansas, and most recently Deerfield Beach, Florida, Passed away peacefully at home on June 6, 2022, due to complications from congestive heart failure. He was 78.

David Robert Reynolds was born on August 9, 1943, in El Paso, Texas, the son of Marion Lucille (Schick) Reynolds and John Robert Reynolds. He moved to Topeka, Kansas, in 1949 when his father entered into the optometric practice of Dr. Donald Paine. Growing up, he attended Topeka High School, became an eagle scout, and swam competitively in high school and college. He was a member of the Beta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Kansas State University. He earned a BS degree in Business Administration from K-State. David attended the Illinois College of Optometry, and upon being conferred with a Doctor of Optometry degree in 1969, he returned to enter optometric practice in Topeka with his father.

During his distinguished optometric career in Topeka, Dr. Reynolds was named Kansas Optometrist of the Year and The Heart of America Contact Lens Society of the Year award recipient twice. He was elected fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, was president of the Shawnee County Optometric Society and served as Chairman of several committees of the Kansas Optometric Association and as a member of its Board of Directors. He served as editor of the Kansas Optometric Journal for 20 years and was a founding charter member of VOSH, Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity.

Dr. Reynolds retired from optometric practice in 1997 and moved to Deerfield Beach, Florida, two years later. While in Deerfield Beach, he undertook several business ventures and leadership roles. He bought and refurbished residential real estate for a time and owned Hear Again Hearing in Port Lucie, FL. He later served as Executive Director of the National Coalition of Eye Care Independent Professionals and National Recruitment Director for DoctoRx Optimal Formula. He served nearly a decade on the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority, including four of those years as Vice-Chairman, and he was a volunteer at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital for nearly twenty years and served on their board of trustees.

Dr. Reynolds traveled extensively throughout his adulthood with his wife, Judi. Together, they visited all seven continents. He remained a loyal Kansas City Chiefs fan throughout his life, including during his time in Florida. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judith Anne (Marquette) Reynolds, who passed away in Deerfield Beach in September 2014. He is survived by a son, David Marquette Reynolds, and his wife Dee Dee, of Coral Springs, FL; a daughter, Jennifer Reynolds Barrow, of Centennial, CO; a grandson, Luke Barrow of Centennial, CO; a brother, Dennis John Reynolds, of Basye, VA; and a niece, Dennell Lani Jerue Reynolds, of Silver Spring, MD.

Dr. Reynolds had type 1 diabetes for nearly his entire life, contracting the disease as a teenager in Topeka, eventually leading to his retirement from his optometric career at a relatively early age. Dr. Reynolds will be remembered by family and close friends who knew him for his eternal optimism and positive outlook on life, for his collection of literally every insulin bottle he ever used during his more than six decades with diabetes, and for his indecipherable handwriting (even to himself), and his warmth and love of his family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Association.

Published in Topeka Capital Journal

Dr. David Reynolds, a long-time resident of Topeka, Kansas, and most recently Deerfield Beach, Florida, Passed away peacefully at home on June 6, 2022, due to complications from congestive heart failure. He was 78.

David Robert Reynolds was born on August 9, 1943, in El Paso, Texas, the son of Marion Lucille (Schick) Reynolds and John Robert Reynolds. He moved to Topeka, Kansas, in 1949 when his father entered into the optometric practice of Dr. Donald Paine. Growing up, he attended Topeka High School, became an eagle scout, and swam competitively in high school and college. He was a member of the Beta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Kansas State University. He earned a BS degree in Business Administration from K-State. David attended the Illinois College of Optometry, and upon being conferred with a Doctor of Optometry degree in 1969, he returned to enter optometric practice in Topeka with his father.

During his distinguished optometric career in Topeka, Dr. Reynolds was named Kansas Optometrist of the Year and The Heart of America Contact Lens Society of the Year award recipient twice. He was elected fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, was president of the Shawnee County Optometric Society and served as Chairman of several committees of the Kansas Optometric Association and as a member of its Board of Directors. He served as editor of the Kansas Optometric Journal for 20 years and was a founding charter member of VOSH, Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity.

Dr. Reynolds retired from optometric practice in 1997 and moved to Deerfield Beach, Florida, two years later. While in Deerfield Beach, he undertook several business ventures and leadership roles. He bought and refurbished residential real estate for a time and owned Hear Again Hearing in Port Lucie, FL. He later served as Executive Director of the National Coalition of Eye Care Independent Professionals and National Recruitment Director for DoctoRx Optimal Formula. He served nearly a decade on the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority, including four of those years as Vice-Chairman, and he was a volunteer at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital for nearly twenty years and served on their board of trustees.

Dr. Reynolds traveled extensively throughout his adulthood with his wife, Judi. Together, they visited all seven continents. He remained a loyal Kansas City Chiefs fan throughout his life, including during his time in Florida. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judith Anne (Marquette) Reynolds, who passed away in Deerfield Beach in September 2014. He is survived by a son, David Marquette Reynolds, and his wife Dee Dee, of Coral Springs, FL; a daughter, Jennifer Reynolds Barrow, of Centennial, CO; a grandson, Luke Barrow of Centennial, CO; a brother, Dennis John Reynolds, of Basye, VA; and a niece, Dennell Lani Jerue Reynolds, of Silver Spring, MD.

Dr. Reynolds had type 1 diabetes for nearly his entire life, contracting the disease as a teenager in Topeka, eventually leading to his retirement from his optometric career at a relatively early age. Dr. Reynolds will be remembered by family and close friends who knew him for his eternal optimism and positive outlook on life, for his collection of literally every insulin bottle he ever used during his more than six decades with diabetes, and for his indecipherable handwriting (even to himself), and his warmth and love of his family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Association.

Published in Topeka Capital Journal