Brenda Kay Reynolds

Brenda Kay Reynolds, 78, of West Union, IL, died on November 11, 2026, at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, IN. She was born on June 25, 1948, in Sullivan, IN, on the Indiana side of the Wabash, but it was the Illinois side, in Old York, where she grew up and where she loved to be. She and her two sisters were tomboys, every one of them. Where somebody else saw a dump, those girls saw a supply yard, and they'd come home with whatever they could make into something else. Old tires became go-karts. Brenda went to grade school in York and stayed close to that river for the rest of her life.

She grew up fast, too. Brenda was just sixteen when she started working at TRW—back when the plant was still in West Union—and when she graduated from Hutsonville High School in 1967, she did so as a young mother to Troy. She was at TRW on and off for years before finishing out at Victor Dana in Robinson, where she started in production and later moved into a janitor's role. She retired from there in 2013.

Off the clock, the girl who built go-karts out of old tires never lost the knack for making things. Brenda crocheted afghans and doilies, made ceramics, including Christmas trees and even a Bugs Bunny, and loved to paint scenery, especially old barns. She enjoyed writing, too. She took notes, practiced her handwriting, and had the prettiest cursive you've ever seen.

As much as she loved making things, Brenda's true love was animals. Over the years, Brenda shared her home with so many dogs and cats, and she always had room for a stray or pet that needed rehoming. She was the same way with people. If somebody was down on their luck, Brenda showed up. She was generous with what she had and kept an eye out for the less fortunate.

That big heart came with a backbone, though. If you made Brenda mad, you knew it, and if she had an opinion—and she usually did—you were going to hear it. Stubborn? Absolutely. But with Brenda, the tough part was only on the outside. Everything underneath came from love. She pushed her family because she wanted the best for them, and if that took a little cussing, well, so be it. (She was right more often than not, anyway).

And she never stopped looking out for them. Brenda wanted her family protected and prepared, and she kept up with everything that might affect them. Between the news and Ryan Hall, Y'all on YouTube, she usually knew what was coming before they did, and she made sure they knew it, too. Most of that came through her iPad, which was her lifeline. With Facebook and her messages, it kept her close to everybody, and it meant she could keep asking for pictures of the grandkids, which she always did.

In person, she was happiest with family close by. Her weekly shopping trips with her daughter, Michele, and her granddaughter, Maddie, were some of her favorite times. Every so often, those trips took them to Evansville, where they'd stay just to watch the barges go by. The river still had a hold on her, and Brenda would sit there taking it all in for hours. Those barges didn't stop when they left her view. They were just headed somewhere she couldn't see.

The same is true of Brenda now. She isn't gone, only gone from our sight, and she knew exactly where she was going. Her Bible stayed right beside her rocking chair, where she’d sit with a cup of coffee and a good Amish romance, and the gospel songs she’d loved since childhood played on repeat on that iPad. Brenda didn’t make it to church all that often, but she never needed a pew to know whose she was. She loved the Lord, and He was with her to the very end. With her family gathered close, her eldest granddaughter prayed the Lord’s Prayer over her, and Brenda took her last breath as the prayer was finished, completely at peace. She’d spent a lifetime singing along to the hope of heaven. Now she’s seeing it for herself.

She married Ross Edwards Reynolds in 1970, and he survives. She is also survived by her children, Troy (Angie) Pinkston of Old York, IL, and Michele Reynolds of West Union, IL; her grandchildren, Tiffany (Aaron) Ochs of Sainte Marie, IL, Tara (Landon) Littlejohn of Robinson, IL, TeNeal (Luke) Wallace of Robinson, IL, Taylor (Kayla) Pinkston of Robinson, IL, Gordon (Paulina) Pinkston of Eldorado, IL, and Maddie (Landon) Williams of West Union, IL; fourteen great-grandchildren (soon to be fifteen); her sisters, Donna Sandefer of Marshall, IL, and Janet (Greg) Young of Robinson, IL; as well as several beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Dorothy (Reynolds) Pinkston; her son, Michael Edward Reynolds; and so many beloved animals she called her own.

A time of visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17th, at the Prust-Hosch Funeral Home in West Union. A funeral service will immediately follow at 12:00 p.m., with Celebrant Curt Goodwine officiating. Burial will be in York Cemetery. In keeping with her love for animals, memorial contributions may be made to Happy Tails Animal Rescue, with envelopes available at the funeral home.