Lillian Osborne Reynolds, 98, of Black Mountain, NC passed away on July 23, 2017 at Ardenwoods assisted living. She was born May 28, 1919 in Canton, NC to James Wiley Grogan and Georgia Westmoreland Grogan who both died before she was the age of one. She was adopted by James Nelson Osborne and Neal Pless Osborne of Candler, NC. She graduated from Woman’s College at the University of NC now UNC – Greensboro. In 1942, she married Thomas Davies Reynolds of Asheville, NC, son of prominent educator A.C. Reynolds. She and her husband, lived in Durham, NC where he was a mathematics professor at Duke University. From 1972 the couple lived in Black Mountain, NC where she co-owned Lillibett’s Country Basket and was a realtor with her husband. She was a tireless volunteer at the Swannanoa Valley Museum, Kiwanis Thrift Store, and served on the board of the Black Mountain Library.
Lillian was preceded in death by her husband in 1997. She is survived by her daughters, Rebecca Reynolds of Charleston, SC, Susan Sultan of Great Barrington, MA, and Kathy Reynolds of Black Mountain, NC; grandchildren, Tom and Laura Nilsson of Charleston, SC, Katy Nilsson Swiergosz of Charleston, SC, Frances and John McCulloch of Hudson, NY, and Penn Sultan of Providence, RI; and great grandchildren, Emily Nilsson, Erik Nilsson, Poppy Swiergosz, and Georgia McCulloch.
Private funeral arrangements have been made for the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Ardenwoods Employees Appreciation Fund, 103 Appalachian Blvd., Arden, NC 28704 and to Four Seasons Compassion for Life, 221 North Main Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792.