Patricia Ann Lynch

Patricia Ann Lynch 89, of New Bern, N.C. peacefully passed away at the Crystal Coast Hospice House in Newport, NC on September, 20, 2014. She was surrounded by all of her children and the “angels” of Crystal Coast Hospice. The family is so grateful for all the love and support from our friends, neighbors, colleagues at work, and the nurses and doctors at Coastal Carolina Medical Center in New Bern, NC.

Patricia was born in St. Paul, MN to Carl and Emily. The family moved to Decatur, IL where she grew up with her sisters, Virginia and Carol. Pat attended Millikin University in IL and later moved to Alexandria VA. She was employed as an airline Hostess with the old Capital Airlines-PCA company which was later bought out by United Airlines. While living in Alexandria, Patricia met and married John J. (Jack) Lynch of DuBois, PA. The couple lived in Fairlington in Arlington, VA, with their first two children, Karen and John. Jack’s work took the family to Frankfort, Germany. Three years later, they returned to Kensington, Maryland. Upon their return, more children and moves occurred. Kevin, Cheryl, Patrice and Kelly were born and the growing family moved from Kensington to Chevy Chase and finally to Potomac, MD.

Jack passed away in 1975. Not long after that, son Kevin began attending Wyngate College in Monroe, NC. He convinced his mother to come to NC to look for a new home. She settled on New Bern, NC, had a house built in River Bend and enjoyed many years of happiness in her home on the Trent River canal.

Patricia lived her life with independence, courage and strength. She moved to New Bern without knowing anyone. Nevertheless, she dove right in and started volunteering at the local library known as the Red Caboose, (which at one time really was a red caboose) and the Bank of the Arts. She was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church of New Bern.

She was a naturally gifted artist and an incredible gourmet cook who continued to hone her skills and abilities throughout her life by taking art classes and cooking classes. Her love of cooking, her curiosity about new recipes, and her skill in the kitchen meant that family and friends were always happy whenever she extended an invitation to dinner. She knew how to set a beautiful table and how to make everyone around it feel happy, content and well fed.

She was a devoted gardener and home decorating genius who also loved to read and work crossword puzzles. The beach was one of her favorite places and she spent many happy hours basking in the beauty of the local NC beaches. She enjoyed traveling and was always up for an adventure. Some of her favorite destinations were Maine, Minnesota and California. She was a born athlete. In her youth she was an ice skater. In later years, she played golf.

“She was a lady”, is how Eleanor, a neighbor and dear friend described Patricia. The two of them enjoyed each other’s company. Patricia also enjoyed socializing with Diane and her patrons at Trend Benders.

Without the help of “Friends Helping Friends” and the generosity of neighbors in River Bend who drove Patricia to her appointments after she was diagnosed with macular degeneration, she would not have been able to continue living independently in her home, which was her strongest and dearest wish.

In her final days, she quietly assured us that she had enjoyed a long, full and wonderful life. Her final concerns were about us, her children, and how we would fare without her. Her love will shine in our lives as we honor, cherish and share the life and love she gave to all of us.

We are so grateful for her strong, independent, courageous spirit. She was a survivor in so many ways. Although she encountered many challenges in her life, she always enjoyed the fact that somehow she was still around. She often seemed surprised that she was actually 89 years old because she always felt young within herself and was always excited about being here with her family and friends. She will live in our hearts forever. We are so grateful for the love, care, and the lessons we learned from her during her lifetime and as she made the transition to her death. The family is deeply grateful to all those who loved her and looked after her in her final years. Her memory will be a light and a blessing to all of us.

Patricia was preceded in death by her loving husband John James Lynch II, her son Kevin Temme Lynch and her two sisters; Virginia Johnson, and Carol Dedlow.

She is survived by her son John James Lynch III, four daughters; Karen Jo Lynch of Alexandria, VA, Cheryl Ann Lynch of Surf City, NC, Patrice Annette Rutherford (Mathew) of New Bern, and Kelly Anne Hildebrant (John) of Greenville, NC, and six grandchildren; Robbie Morris, Zachary Rutherford, Bryce Rutherford, Lindsay Rutherford, Sean Hildebrant, and Erin Hendrian.

Services for Patricia will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Patricia’s memory to: Crystal Coast Hospice House, 100 Big Rock Weigh, Newport, NC 28557.