Obituary of Nilza de Mattos Reynolds

Nilza de Mattos Reynolds, 77, died Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, at home. She was the widow of Jasper A. Reynolds, Jr. A native of São Paulo, Brazil, she was the oldest surviving of nine children born to the late Jose Bernardo de Mattos, a businessman and public official. Her mother, Maria Vidal de Mattos, died when she was a child. Mrs. Reynolds graduated in 1957 from the American Institute of Lins and in 1961 from the University of São Paulo, where she studied foreign languages. As a young schoolteacher with a spirit of adventure, she came to this country in 1966 to teach in the Peace Corps, settling in her husband’s hometown of Chattanooga after their marriage in 1969. While raising a family she was active in education, serving as a substitute teacher and arts aide in the City schools, teaching Portuguese for the Adult Education Council, and co-organizing UTC’s citywide 1979 Brazilian International Festival. After earninga computer science degree from Chattanooga State Technical Community College in 1986, she served a number of small engineering firms. Following her husband’s death in 2000, she dedicated herself to serving “my kids” in the remote rural town of Cristalndia, Brazil. She spent weeks at a time living among the people—tutoring orphans, organizing after-school programs and coaching overwhelmed educators. For more than 40 years, Mrs. Reynolds was a communicant of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she helped to maintain the archive room named for her husband. Survivors include two sons and a daughter-in-law, Jasper III, Catherine and Joseph; and two grandchildren, William and Elizabeth, all of Chattanooga. She is also survived by a sister, Nadir de Matos; brother, Jose Bernardo de Mattos, Jr.; and stepmother, Antonia de Mattos, all of São Paulo, Brazil. Services will be Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Clergy presiding will be The Rev. Suzanne Smitherman, The Rev. Donald Fishburne and The Rev. Andy Olivo. Burial will follow in Chattanooga National Cemetery. Visitations will be Monday, Feb. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wann Funeral Home; and Tuesday 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the church. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of choice. Arrangements are by Wann Funeral Home & Cremation Center, at the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, St. Elmo (423) 821-7551 Share your memories, stories and photos at wannfuneralhome.com.