Billy Iverson Reynolds

Obit Billy Iverson Reynolds, 87, of Kosciusko , passed away January 1, 2017. Visitation is 11AM-2PM Thursday, January 5, 2016 at Jordan Funeral Home. Services will be held at 2PM at Jordan Funeral Home. He will be buried at New Hope Cemetery. Bill Reynolds graduated from Ethel High School in 1946 at the age of 16. He attended Holmes Jr. College and then went on to attend Hinds Jr. College where among other activities, he taught algebra classes to Hinds students. After graduation from Hinds Jr. College he joined the Marine Corps Reserve in Jackson, MS. Afterwards Bill went to work in the Fingerprint Identification Division of the F.B.I. During this first tenure with the F.B.I. Bill, along with many others, received the honor of being invited to visit the offices of then F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover. In 1951 Bill was called to active duty in the Marine Corps due to the Korean Conflict. He took basic training at Paris Island, SC. He then studied aircraft systems at the Navel Training Facility just north of Memphis, Tenn. He specialized in maintaining and repairing F4U Corsair Fighters for Marine and Naval aviators. After release from active duty nearly two years later with the rank of Sergeant he returned to work for the F.B.I Identification Division. From 1954 to 1958 Bill attended Mississippi State College majoring in Engineering. He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi and several other engineering fraternities and he was also a Mason while at MSU. After successfully completing the degree requirements with grade honors Bill Reynolds worked as an Aeronautical Engineer for Lockheed Aircraft Company of Marietta, GA for thirty years. During his tenure with Lockheed, Bill participated in the development of the Jet Star; a business jet. He worked on nacelle and engine design for the C-130, C-141, the stretch C-141, the C-5A and others. He also participated in preliminary work on the design of the F-22 and the F-35 fighters before retiring from Lockheed. Much of his work carried him to the numerous Lockheed and Air Force facilities throughout America. So much of his work encompassed the use of wind tunnels at Lockheed that Lockheed had at one point considered naming one of their wind tunnel test facilities after him. He has been a long time member of the American Legion. He was preceded in death by his mother; M Breazeale Reynolds, and father Felty Iverson Reynolds. He is survived by his brother, Bobby Kenneth Reynolds and his wife Thelma Chambers Reynolds of Vancleve, MS; and brother Jimmy Dale Reynolds of Kosciusko, MS.; nephew, Gregory Allen Reynolds of Gautier, MS; nieces, Lucinda Reynolds Brooks of Vancleve, MS and Kimberly Reynolds Chennault of Kosciusko, MS. He is also survived by many great nephews and great nieces.