Lynda Marie Mehrer

She was born in Olympia on November 27, 1948, to Jessie and Dick Durward. Lynda was the eldest child and grew up in the Steamboat Island area, save the year she and her family lived on a floating house in Alaska while her dad was logging. As kids, she and her brothers had a horse named Flash, and they raced motorcycles for their dad’s Honda shop during their teenage years. She dabbled in cosmetology and graduated from Olympia High School in 1967. Lynda spent much of her adulthood moving about the country as a Navy wife. She was skilled at making a house a home for her family and did so in Hawaii, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, and, from 1993-2023, Kennewick, Washington. The Navy gave her lifelong friends.

Lynda and her husband Vern enjoyed forty-one years of marriage before he passed away in 2020. Their favorite years were spent with their young family in upstate New York, where they lived in a paper mill town on the Hudson River in the Adirondack Park. She enjoyed the outdoors during each season, from walking on railroad tracks through autumn leaves to sledding during the long winters. She particularly loved the days they spent together at Stewart’s Pond, where she showed-off on her ice skates during the wintertime and played in the water during the summer.

Lynda was a true artist, though she probably never thought of herself as such. She was a skilled seamstress who could make any item of clothing, from ball gowns and wedding dresses to bathrobes and Barbie clothes. In addition to creating with fabric, she was an excellent baker and a talented decorator of cakes. She was particularly proud of her blonde brownies and her award-winning flat apple pie. She was a painter, clay artist, and basket weaver. She loved designing birthday cards for her family.

She could be both endearing and prickly. Her strong-willed nature was part of her charm, and it gave her the fortitude necessary for dealing with her medical issues. Lynda was a survivor of both Lyme Disease and a near-fatal horse riding accident that fractured her skull, took half of her hearing, and provided a very long recovery. Through it all, she never gave up on the dreams she held for her life.

Lynda amassed an enormous antique collection, and she single-handedly kept L.L. Bean in business. She was most at ease with the many labrador retrievers she had over the years, and her horse Lady was one of her longest and best friendships. She was gullible and sarcastic, always thought she was right, and treasured the land she grew up on as if it were a family member.

Lynda leaves behind her son Frank Ehresmann (wife Becky) of McCleary; daughter Kelli Samson of Olympia; son James (wife Jamie) of West Richland; grandchildren Lexi, Hali, Annabelle, Clementine, Cannon, and Colton; brothers Rich Durward (wife Gay) and Rick Snyder of Olympia; niece Evie Ward of Olympia; nephew Garrett Durward (wife Mel) of Olympia; grand nephews Liam, Owen, and Crew; grand nieces Ashytn and Hadley; and her cousins Doug Durward, Janice Crick, and Kathy Landree. She was preceded in death by her parents, her step-parents, her husband Vern, and an infant son.

Her funeral will be held Saturday, September 28th, at Mills and Mills Funeral Home in Tumwater. The social hour begins at noon, with a ceremony to follow at 1pm. She will be laid to rest at 2pm. All of those who knew Lynda are invited and encouraged to attend.

Flowers may be sent to the service, and donations can be made in Lynda’s name to the Back Country Horsemen of Washington’s Rattlesnake Ridge Riders chapter.