Barbara Lee Lynch

Barbara Lee Qualls Lynch, 87, of Jamestown, departed this life Sunday, March 31, 2019 surrounded by her loving family. She was born Sept. 8, 1931 in Raleigh, NC to Archibald G. and Sheila DeVault Qualls.

Barbara attended Pfeiffer College and studied design at UNC Greensboro. She began her career as an artist for Russell Church Studios in Winston Salem in 1952 and enjoyed working as an artist and designer for more than 60 years. In 1976 Barbara founded BL Stained Glass Design & Mfrs., in Jamestown, NC, which she ran with her husband Ben. Through the years she trained and mentored numerous craftsmen in how to create beautiful windows, including at one time or another all five of her children. She was a well known stained glass artist and designer admired for her skill in creating and restoring hand painted artwork on glass, and was sought out to repair and replace artwork in priceless historic windows, including windows created by Tiffany Studios. Examples of her work can be found throughout the country including many historic churches from Washington, DC to Savannah, GA. A particularly striking design of Barbara’s can be seen in Zion Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas, overlooking the harbor.

Barbara was talented on many levels, including designing homes and their interiors. She designed homes for her mother and designed and physically built, with husband Ben, their own contemporary lake home on Hyco Lake. Ben and Barbara also dismantled an antique cabin and reconstructed it into an inviting guest cottage.

Barbara loved to travel both internationally and locally, and experience life wherever it took her and Ben, particularly in their motorhomes. She was fiercely devoted to her grandchildren, and was known to travel great distances to join in their fun. Barbara was an avid reader, card player, and bird watcher. She was a member of The Historic Jamestown Society and enjoyed volunteering at Mendenhall Homeplace in Jamestown.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Ben, of the home, daughters Sandra McGee of Kernersville, Karen Walls and husband Tommy of Jamestown, Terri Lynch and husband Phil Purcell of Charlotte; son Alan Lynch of Austin, TX; grandsons Devin McGee of Los Angeles, CA and Justin Walls of Guangzhou, China; granddaughters Jill McGee of Pfafftown, NC and Amanda Richardson of Raleigh, NC; sister Sheila Bowman of Greensboro; brother Robert Qualls and wife Kathleen of Albuquerque, NM; three great grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews whom she loved as her own; and her

beloved poodle Annabelle. She was preceded in death by her son Jon Christopher and her sister Elizabeth Southern.

A celebration of life service will be held on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at 2 pm at the Oakdale Campus of Jamestown UMC, 532 Oakdale Rd, Jamestown, with the Rev. Tom Latimer officiating. Private burial will be at McCray Cemetery, Burlington, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The Historic Jamestown Society, PO Box 512, Jamestown, NC, 27282, or to McCray Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, care of Carl DeBruler, 1018 Buttermilk Dr., Burlington, NC 27217.