Kathleen Mary Lynch

Kathleen M. Lynch (nee Smith), age 94, of Westwood, NJ, went to eternal rest on May 4, 2015, surrounded by her loving family. Born to Louis B. and Kathleen (O’Hagen) Smith in Brooklyn, NY, in 1920, she resided there, raised her family, and worked in New York until retiring and moving to Westwood in 1986. She is predeceased by her husband James F. Lynch, her brothers Louis Smith (and wife Estelle) and Robert Smith, and her sister Jeanette Williams (and husband Jack).

Kathleen had four sons and two daughters: James (Christine), Joseph (Mary Ann), Robert (Mary), Thomas (deceased 1972), Kathleen (Charles), and Virginia. She headed a dynasty of 13 grandchildren and their spouses and 19 great-grandchildren in Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and London, UK. As a young mother during World War II, Kathleen sewed overcoats for US soldiers. She held various other jobs while raising her children and then trained as a telephone operator with New York Telephone Company in Brooklyn. She later worked in the telephone department of US Trust Company on Wall Street, from which she retired.

Kathleen was a warm and caring person who had a smile and good word for everyone. She lived courageously through the ups and downs of a long life and guided her children with love, encouragement, and pride. She was a fiercely patriotic American, was proud of her Irish roots (her mother emigrated from Ireland in the early 1900’s), and was a devout Catholic. She was a parishioner of the Church of the Assumption in Emerson. Her No. 1 priority was her family.

The family will receive friends at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ on Thursday, May 7, 2-4 and 7-9pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at Assumption Church in Emerson, NJ on Friday, May 8, at 10:00 AM. Burial to follow at Cemetery of the Ascension, Airmont, NY.