MARGIE MAE CUMMINS REYNOLDS

Margie’s most cherished day of the week was Sunday, and her favorite holiday by far was Thanksgiving. Margie went to sleep one last time on November 24, 2024, the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving.

Margie was born on May 7, 1941, in Fort Worth, Texas. She was the daughter of Lorine and E.C. Cummins. Margie grew up in Fort Worth and attended Alice Carlson Elementary, McLean Middle, and R.L. Paschal High School.

Margie graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1962 with B.A. in Art History. Upon graduation, she made a trip around the world before moving back to Fort Worth. In 1963, she married her middle school and high school sweetheart, Donald Reynolds. Don and Margie began their 54-year marriage in Irving, where they had their first child, Stephanie Ann in 1965. Soon after, they moved to Odessa, Texas, and had three more children, Walter Clay in 1966, Elizabeth Leigh in 1967, and Donald Cummins in 1969.

Margie and Don moved back to Fort Worth in 1972, where they raised their four children and hundreds of others. The many friends of Margie’s children called her their second mother. She welcomed anyone and everyone into her loving home on Floyd Drive. And Margie was available day and night to listen, to help, and to cook a hot meal. She was an amazing mother, and she embodied every cherished quality of motherhood and beyond. 

Margie was a fiercely independent woman. In 1986, she moved out to the family ranch in Granbury, where she lived full time for the next 35 years. Every day, she rode her horses, hiked several miles, tended to her garden, painted, wrote, and took care of several animals. Margie loved to sit on her porch, drink wine, and watch the Texas sun say its goodbyes. After Don entered full-time care in 2011, and eventually passed in 2017, Margie remained on the ranch and spent considerable time at her cabin on the Cimarron River in Ute Park, New Mexico. She was always so energized when her children and grandchildren came to spend time with her in her worlds, from the countryside to the mountains.

Margie had many friends in Granbury and Ute Park who loved and adored her. Some common refrains are, “She was good for my soul;” “She was the spirit that filled my cup every time I was around her;” “She changed my life.” And Margie’s “Cowboys” – Jerry, Eddie, JD, and Michael – changed her life; they kept her going. In her elder years, she was a woman who’d paint her face with cactus bloom, build her own outdoor fires, and even kill a snake or two.

It was not uncommon for Margie to pen six horses and saddle all of them herself for her grandkids and guests to go for a ride. Margie was thrown from her horse several times, resulting in broken wrists, a banged-up back, and many scrapes and bruises. But she always got back in the saddle. She was certainly one of a kind.

Margie Reynolds was authentic, and she was brave. She was artistic and unique. She permanently touched so many people. She had a heart the size of Texas and a legendary soul. While she has left us physically, she will always remain in our hearts. What remains is the strongest of legacies. 

Margie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Donald Durward Reynolds, and her brother, William Clay Cummins. She is survived by her four children, Stephanie, Walter, Elizabeth, and Donald, their four spouses, twelve grandchildren, and five great grandchildren, with two more on the way. 

Margie did not want a formal funeral service. Rather, she left detailed instructions for a private ceremony, which her family will hold at the ranch in celebration of her life.

However, the family will host a memorial celebration for all those who wish to share their favorite Margie stories. This will take place at the R4 Foundation, 5804 Edwards Ranch Road, from 4 to 6 pm Thursday December 12, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Ninnie L. Baird Foundation.