Barbara Jean Lynch Andre

Barbara was born on November 19, 1935 to Noble and Jewel Lynch in Centrahoma, Oklahoma. Her family moved to Springfield, Oregon in 1946 where she grew up with her younger brother Bobby and where she met her best friends to this day Gladys and Cook. She graduated from Springfield High in 1954. Following graduation she traveled with a friend first visiting New York and ending up in Spokane, Washington where she worked for an optometrist’s office. In Spokane she met Jay Yowell who she married in December of 1955. She began working at First National Bank as a teller during this time. They lived in the Portland and Beaverton areas during the duration of their marriage, which ended in 1971.

She continued to live in Beaverton and work for the bank which became First Interstate when she was introduced to Frederick Andre by her dear friend Andy (Warren) Anderson. Mr. Anderson never imagined that they would hit it off, let alone that 34 years later they would be happily holding hands in their adult foster home. Fred and Barbara were married at Sierra Inn Wedding Chapel in Reno, Nevada on July 4, 1975. She lovingly embraced his six children and multiple grandchildren. Fred and Barbara enjoyed square dancing, bowling, skiing and their special pets. They met and forged a special friendship with Tom and Lorraine Snider while square dancing.

Barbara was very active on the board of the Bullrun Town House Association in Gresham where they bought their home in 1975 and lived until these last few months. She served as Treasurer and as Secretary for many years.

As she worked her way up in the banking industry she enjoyed work as a bank examiner and was able to travel all over Oregon to different banks. She retired from banking (now known as Wells Fargo) in the early 1990’s and spent her years of retirement enjoying her many hobbies of traveling, scrap booking, painting, collecting Hallmark treasures and spending time with her many friends and her beloved family. In her retirement she also taught driving lessons for 55 alive and was a support mentor to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

Of course all who know Barbara know that she needed a little more than the fun of retired life, so she got a part time job at a Hallmark Gold Crown store in Gresham. There she was able to brighten many people’s day with her warmth and cherished the many friendships she made while working there. It also helped that she was surrounded by the lovely ornaments, beanie babies and treasures she adored.

She loved her church family at the Metro Church of Christ in Gresham and was involved with many activities there including the Thursday Bible Study and the Benevolence Group Ministry.

She is survived by her husband Frederick; her brother Bobby Lynch (Penny); her nephew Richard and niece Tammy; her children Suzette, Carolyn, Jerome and Jeffery; her stepdaughter Denise; her grandchildren Michelle, Benita, Kimberly, Wanda, Kainen, Brenise, Alicia, Brian, Jared and Matilda; twenty-five great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents Noble and Jewel Lynch and her son James.

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, May 14, 2010 in the Metro Church of Christ, 1525 NW Division in Gresham, Oregon. Entombment at Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland, Oregon. Arrangements entrusted to Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home.

Barbara will be lovingly remembered for her ability to brighten everyone’s day by listening or taking an extra five minutes to visit, her compassionate heart, her devotion as a caregiver, her strength and her loving ways. She loved our Lord and Savior and her loved ones are at peace knowing that she is safe in His arms.