DR. Edmond Faust Reynolds Jr.'s Obituary
Edmond Faust Reynolds Jr, 73, passed away July 5, 2025 following an illness. He was born in Knoxville, TN on February 9, 1952. Faust was the elder of two boys born to Edmond Faust Reynolds Sr (Ed) and Emma Jean Vaughn Reynolds. He graduated from Waverly High School in 1969 and from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1973 with a BS in anthropology. He moved to Memphis to attend UTCHS dental school and in 1978 met Erin Walls. On September 17, 1983, after a four-year courtship, Faust and Erin were married.
Faust loved Jesus, his family, pretty much everyone he met, and the outdoors. While attending dental school in the late 1970s, Faust received Jesus as his Savior and spent the rest of his life serving his Lord and others. He joined Second Presbyterian Church, where he was a lifelong member, serving as a Stephen Minister in the 1990s. Even prior to his graduation from dental school, Faust began coaching little boys’ soccer and working with the senior high youth group at the church. This love of mentoring children and youth would continue throughout his life.
Faust practiced dentistry until his retirement in 2013, serving as an associate with groups in Frayser and Memphis before building a practice as Audubon Dental Group with his long-time friend Dan Bellott. The thing he loved most about his career was his interaction with people. Knowing that many people fear going to the dentist, he employed his unique sense of humor to put people at ease. As a tongue in cheek recommendation, he frequently encouraged his patients to eat copious amounts of lifesavers and chocolate, so they could visit him more often.
He was fun, gentle and kind, always engaging fully with those around him, from his patients to the check-out staff at the grocery store. These qualities allowed him to be a special favorite with children. While Faust and Erin had no children of their own, they loved spending time with their siblings, as well as nieces and nephews. He was at the birth of two of his nephews, rearranging his schedule immediately upon hearing his sister-in-law was in labor. He remained devoted to his nieces and nephews throughout their lives, wrestling and performing magic tricks with them as toddlers and later attending all the baseball games, soccer matches and plays that could be crammed into a visit. Faust served as a groomsman in his nephew John’s wedding.
Faust was a wonderful listener and selfless advocate, which is one of many reasons his wife, family, friends, patients and many mentees adored him. His wife, Erin, working frequently in high pressure corporate jobs, believed him to be her greatest cheerleader and best counselor.
In the 1990s he became an instructor and leader in Christ First Ministries, a non-profit teaching families taekwondo, as well as Christian character building. He achieved a black belt himself, but his real joy was in helping young boys and girls learn about Jesus, even as they were gaining physical skills.
Faust loved the outdoors, particularly backpacking and camping. In the 2000s his passion led him to pursue a secondary career in nature photography, winning awards at local craft shows. He viewed nature as a “window into heaven,” providing a glimpse into the awesomeness and beauty of God and his photography as a means of bearing witness of His majesty.
Faust was unflappable and resourceful. Faust always knew what to do to make a situation better, calmly approaching any difficulty, from a sudden mountain thunder-blizzard to helping his elderly mother-in-law up after a fall to a cooking crisis. When Erin made her first batch of caramel icing for a special family occasion, it began to harden prematurely. Upon consulting Faust (“Doctor Science”), he calmly surveyed the situation, brought in the hair blow dryer, and rescued the batch of icing.
In the last decade of his life, Faust became the primary caregiver for Erin’s parents, Garland and Maria Walls, until their deaths in January 2024. During this time, he and Erin enjoyed traveling in Europe, primarily in Germany. They learned to speak the language conversantly and made friends in the villages they frequented. They enjoyed learning the local customs, eating local fare and driving in the mountains. Throughout his life, Faust loved learning new things, meeting new people and celebrating the many gifts God had given him, especially his family.
Faust is survived by his wife of 41 years, Erin; his brother JA Reynolds (Kathy); his sister-in-law Dana Sherrer (Keith); his nieces and nephews Maegan Lo Porto (Kyle), John Reynolds (Ali), Baker Reynolds (Lauren), Kara Sherrer, Evie Sherrer and Ethan Sherrer (Emma Grace); as well as his great nieces and nephews Isabella Lo Porto, Makayla Lo Porto, Cooper Lo Porto, Palmer Reynolds, Rook Reynolds and Hudson Reynolds.
Memorial services for Faust will be held in the sanctuary at Second Presbyterian Church, 4055 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN, on Friday July 25. Visitation is from 1 to 2 pm, with the memorial service beginning at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to The Christian Psychological Center.
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