Ann “Andi” Milam Reynolds, 72, died on July 24, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents (W. Calvin “Cal” Reynolds and Nancy Ann (Ramsey) Reynolds); her sister-in-law Gayle (Casey) Reynolds, her brother Albert Lehman Reynolds, and their son, Andi’s nephew, Braxton Lee “B. Lee” Reynolds; and her parents-in-law (John “Bud” Lewis Affholter Sr. and Donna Lois (Jones) Affholter), and brother-in-law (Marc Douglas Affholter). She is survived by her husband Dennis Paul Affholter, his six living siblings and their spouses, and a bevy of beautiful nieces and nephews, with a few grandnieces and grandnephews too. She married into a big family and was grateful for their places in her life.
Andi grew up in Winston-Salem, NC, where she enjoyed camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains and on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. She became the family’s breakfast cook at age 9, when she woke her mother one Saturday morning, sticking a frying pan under her mother’s nose, asking if the eggs were done. On the day after she left the house for college, her brother Al awoke to the shocked realization that he was now the family’s breakfast cook.
As a very young woman, in a state that was among the last to adopt busing as the means to racial integration in public schools, Andi became the state’s first female school bus driver on record. Perhaps the youngest as well. Oh, the stories she had to tell! And she was a storyteller, foretelling decades as a self-employed writer.
During her senior year in high school, Andi came home one day and announced she had applied to the state’s flagship university, UNC-Chapel Hill. For a long time, it was a male-only university, but it had begun bringing young women into the fold. In every other year, the University accepted relatively more women. Andi’s year of application was an off year for women. Her distraught parents told her to make a safe choice, sure to be admitted, like the state’s education college for women in Winston-Salem. Ignoring her parents’ advice, she accepted admission to the state’s flagship university--where she excelled. Andi worked in the state’s Department of Labor, helping disabled people find and keep jobs. This work introduced her to the national disabilities rights movement. Her work in disability rights was something she was very proud of throughout the rest of her life.
Andi and Dennis moved to Tallahassee, Florida, where she continued writing and editing. Among other things, she wrote technical instructions for educational materials and web-based narratives for the state’s fabulous and diverse lighthouses. An avid backyard birder, she saw a birding wonder never seen before or since. Outside her front door was a small flowerpot hung on the wall, a favorite for small nesting birds. One day there was a raucous chorus of birds coming from the front porch. About six dozen male goldfinches sat on the front porch swing, covering the arms, seat, back and even the chains holding up the swing. On the porch was a large oak snake, initially headed to the nest where unfledged chicks were calling for food. The adults’ chorus was sufficiently loud to cause the snake to change course and head for the promise of a larger meal. When the snake was under the swing, the gold finches suddenly left, traveling in all directions. The chicks were silent and safe, for a time anyway.
Andi and Dennis moved to Keota, Iowa, a small farming community where she became the hostess with the mostest, giving varying themed parties. Keota had two churches, one Catholic, the other mixed Protestant. One summer afternoon, at an outdoor party at her house, the Catholic priest noted that he had not seen her at mass and asked what faith she followed. She didn’t miss a beat, straight-faced, said neopagan. He too didn’t miss a beat and answered that Keota could do with a lot more neopagans.
Andi moved to Paducah, Kentucky, to take the position of Executive Book Editor for the American Quilter’s Society. She loved working with her authors, bringing their ideas to life while maintaining their authentic voices. She brought in a new line of books for AQS, fiction with quilts and quilters running throughout the books by Ann Halzelwood. Some of her authors remain good friends.
Andi most enjoyed making others smile and laugh, at which she excelled. She brought joy to everyday life. Andi’s friends and family are scattered from coast to coast and from the northern to the southern borders of our nation. She elected to have no viewing, visitation, or service. Please remember Andi in a way, place, and time of your choosing, hopefully with more joy than sadness.
If you wish to give a donation in her name, you could choose among the following: your local dog rescue or adoption operation, your local library, the National Quilt Museum (search the internet), the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services are in charge of the arrangements.
Share a memory or leave a message for the family at www.milnerandorr.com.
