NEWBURY, NH — Charlton Reynders, Jr.
December 1, 1937 – March 24, 2019
Charlton Reynders, Jr., financial executive and founder, lifetime Trustee of the Hospital for Special Surgery, Treasurer and member of the Board of Governors of the Westminster Kennel Club, Trustee of the Fells, accomplished creative writer, and deeply devoted family man, died peacefully, on March 24th, at 81, near his home in Newbury, NH. His wife of nearly 60 years, Knowlton “Nonie” Ames Reynders, was by his side. He is also survived by his three children John van Wicheren Reynders, III, Charlton Reynders, III, and Alys Reynders Scott, and by their beloved spouses, and his seven grandchildren.
Born in New York City to Eliza and Charlton Reynders, Charlton, “Rink”, attended St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH and Princeton University. Rink was a Chief Communications Officer for the United States Navy, serving on the flagship of the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, and aboard the USS Enterprise in the Caribbean Sea during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After his dedicated service to the Navy, Rink started his career in the financial industry at Harris, Upham (later acquired by Smith Barney), where he directed research and was the youngest vice president appointed in the firm’s history. In 1979, he founded and built Reynders, Gray & Co., Incorporated with Robert (“Bobby”) Gray. Reynders, Gray, a member firm of the New York Stock Exchange, was an institutional brokerage and investment advisory firm with offices in New York and Boston.
Beyond a professional focus in the financial arena, Rink’s sharp wit, love of language, and unmatched ability to keenly depict human foible and enduring triumph frequently brought him into the literary realm. He was a member of the Century Association, wrote the On Language column in the New York Times, on the occasions of William Safire’s respites, and authored a Street Talk column for the Wall Street Journal.
Much of his travel was devoted to the outdoors and fly fishing and brought him to trout streams and rivers in Montana, the dramatic landscape of Chile, private lakes and tributaries with close friends in the Adirondacks, the Matapedia River in Quebec, where he was a member of the Tobique Salmon Club, or more locally, in Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed membership at the Pohoqualine Fish Association for many years.
Rink will be remembered above all else for his hallmark character imperatives of kindness and integrity. He lived his life in full measure, actively engaged in every day. His generosity of heart and mind was always present as he remained committed to the improvement of the world in which he lived and steadfastly focused on the plight and potential of everyone around him.
Memorial donations may be given to the John van Wicheren Reynders, Jr. War Memorial Scholarship at Princeton University (p: 609-258-4488) or to the John van Wicheren Reynders, Jr. War Memorial Scholarship at St. Paul’s School (p: 603-229-4769). These scholarships were established by the family after World War I and support educational opportunities for students coming to these academic institutions from underserved communities across the country.
Rink was a member of and active participant at St. Thomas Episcopal Church (New York, NY), St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church (Bedford, NY), and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (New London, NH). A memorial service will be held on June 15, 2019 at St. Andrew’s.