Born in Providence, RI, he was the son of the late Thomas G. and Mary (Coyle) Lynch. He attended Sacred Heart School and East Providence High School, then made a career in the US Army.
During his military service, he was honored with several distinctions, including a Good Conduct Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. In recognition of his exceptional contributions in assisting with the repatriation of the crew of the USS Pueblo, which had been seized by North Korean forces in January, 1968, Thomas was awarded the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
After retiring from the Army at the rank of Sergeant FIrst Class, Mr. Lynch earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University. He subsequently began a distinguished career in the US Federal Civil Service.
After traveling the world during his military and governmental careers, Mr. Lynch lived briefly in Washington, DC and then settled permanently in El Paso, TX, where he resided for 29 years.
Thomas was the brother of the late John A. Lynch, Edward L. Lynch, Mary A. Murphy, and Julia R. DiLucchio. He leaves his sister, Catherine E. Doran, of RI; his nephew, Gerald Timothy Doran, of RI; and other nephews and nieces.
He was interred at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, with full military honors, on April 16, 2024; a video of the service can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/fdacentral.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00AM on Thursday, May 23 at St. Timothy Church, 1799 Warwick Ave, Warwick, RI.
