Portville Hall of Fame
Marilyn Coss Reynolds was born in 1939 in Olean, New York, to Loren P. and
Helen Shaffer Coss.

Marilyn was a 1957 graduate of Portville Central School. Her mother, Helen
Shaffer, graduated Portville High School in 1932. She spent her early grades,
first through third, in the two room schoolhouse in Weston Mills. From grades
four to six, her classrooms were in the original PCS bus garage before moving
to the current high school building.

During her time at PCS, Marilyn was a member of the National Honor Society,
the Latin Club, and played in the school band. After high school, she attended
Buffalo State, St. Bonaventure, the Danish Design Institute in Copenhagen,
Denmark, as well as Alfred University.

After college, she taught art for 32 years, and 23 of those were at Olean High
School.

From 1959 to 1963, she worked at the American Olean Tile Company.

She is recognized as one of the most accomplished artists in the region and
known for her unique watercolor technique. Marilyn’s work has been featured
in many places and many publications. She has been to countless art festivals
from Massachusetts to Key West. Her paintings of homes and businesses are
found throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She has traveled extensively
throughout Asia, Central America, and Europe.

During high school and college, she was a waitress at the Reynolds Rambling
Ranch, where she met her husband, William. They were married in Weston
Mills in July of 1959.

Bill and Marilyn have three children, Bill Reynolds, Melissa Reynolds, and
Melanie Reynolds Auman, all of whom graduated from PCS.

Marilyn is a member of the Olean Art Association, and the Christ United
Methodist Church in Olean.


(Presented by Gary Swetland for Hall of Fame at the Alumni Banquet, 2017)
The Portville Historical and Preservation Society
17 Maple Avenue
Portville, NY 14770

www.portvillehistory.org
Portville, New York
Marilyn Coss Reynolds
PCS Hall of Fame ~ Class of 2017