Joe Reynolds

Joe Reynolds, retired county assessor, passed away Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at the Whitman Hospital in Colfax after losing his fight to pancreatic cancer. He was 70.

Born August 31, 1949, Joe was the second of four boys born to Jack and Mickey Reynolds in Colfax. In a family of four boys it was always an active household. Joe loved to play baseball and participated in high school sports. He graduated from Colfax High School with the class of 1967.

He attended college at Eastern Washington University and returned each summer to work for area farmers and grain companies. In 1972, Joe approached then Whitman County Assessor Bob Repp about a job. Bob said, "Joe, if you get your hair cut, I can give you a job." Readily, Joe cut his long hair and began a long, satisfying career in the courthouse.

Joe married Jayne Carson on February 16, 1979. They lived on Clay Street in Colfax with daughter Kelly. Joe could often be seen outside working in the yard or fixing a project on the house. He liked the "Do-It-Yourself" projects and was good at everything from roofing and stucco repair to interior remodeling. Joe helped many friends and neighbors over the years with those projects. He played softball on the Hyde Out team for many years. His love of baseball continued when he was thrilled to coach his grandson AJ's little league team. Joe could also be content watching the squirrels and birds from his back deck at one of the many feeders he maintained for them.

He and Jayne enjoyed many trips to the Oregon Coast and spending time together at the casinos. Joe ran for County Assessor in 1994, when Bob Repp retired, and he held that office until his retirement 23 years later in 2017. Even though Joe had many accomplishments over the years; his favorite part of the job was working for and with the taxpayers. He never considered himself a politician. He was proud of all the hard work he did on the levy manuals over the years. Most of all, Joe was proud of his wife, his daughter, and his grandson AJ.

He will be missed by many in the community but especially by his wife, Jayne of 41 years; daughter, Kelly Anderson, Colfax; grandson, AJ and his wife Stephanie of Medical Lake; and by his two brothers, Robert, Colfax and Jack of Layton, Utah. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Dennis.

The family suggests memorial gifts be made to a local humane society. In the current situation, no services are being planned at this time. On-line guest book is at http://www.bruningfuneralhome.com