Garrett C Lynch

Garrett C. Lynch, 96, died peacefully on September 15, 2021, after a long, productive and happy life. He was born in Port Arthur, Texas, on February 14, 1925, to Mable George Lynch and Garrett Lynch. He grew up in Port Arthur, where he attended school. On his seventeenth birthday, he enlisted in the US Navy, where he served initially on the USS O'Brien. 79 years to the day of Garrett's passing, on September 15, 1942, the O'Brien was struck by a torpedo and ultimately sunk in October 1942; Garrett spent three hours in the waters of the Pacific before he and other crew members were rescued. He was reassigned to the USS Fullam on which he served in the Pacific theater for the remainder of the war. Upon discharge, he returned to Port Arthur, graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1946. He subsequently completed an electrician/instrumentation course at Lamar Technological College. He began working at Texaco in Port Arthur in 1947. In December 1947, he married Beverly Ann Rushing; they remained married for 62 years until her passing in 2010. In August 1965, he was transferred to the newly begun Texaco Refinery in Convent, Louisiana, where he served as an electrical foreman & supervisor until his retirement in 1985. He continued to live in Baton Rouge for the rest of his life. In retirement, he served as a volunteer on the USS Kidd for over 30 years. He also volunteered at Habitat for Humanity and Southeast Ministries. He enjoyed electric trains, reading about World War II and attending and watching football games. He spent the last four months at Lake Sherwood Village. He was a member of Broadmoor United Methodist Church for 47 years, where he was active in the Gumbo Sunday School Class since its inception in 1983. One of the highlights of his golden years was his being cast in the movie Battleship, which was filmed on the USS Kidd in 2010. He played an "old salt" and had three spoken lines with Rihanna. He enjoyed receiving his royalty checks, the latest one arriving within weeks of his death. Garrett is survived by his son Garrett Rushing Lynch, M.D. of New York, New York and his daughter Jennifer L. Miller (Reid Miller) of Franklin, Louisiana. He is survived by one grandson, Blake Miller, also of Franklin, nieces Nancy Scherff & family and Natalie Miller & family all of Texas and many cousins. He will be fondly remembered and missed by the Gumbo Sunday School Class, Broadmoor Neighborhood, domino group, Texaco & USS Kidd friends. The family would like to offer special thanks for the friendship and compassionate care provided by the residents, staff and management of Lake Sherwood Village. Visitation will be held at Broadmoor Methodist Church from 10:00-11:30 am on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, with a Memorial Service to follow. A reception at Broadmoor Methodist Church will follow the Memorial Service. A Graveside Service will be held at 2:00 pm at Greenoaks Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers are Tom Miller, Wayne Wroten, Bill Fulman, Keith McDavid, Tom Oliver, and Blake Miller. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Broadmoor United Methodist Church or the USS Kidd.