Lynn B. Poché, Jr.

Lynn Poché passed away on July 8 from complications from Parkinson’s disease while en route to Europe for a cruise. He was born in Pittsburgh on October 23, 1930, and moved to Dallas in 1941. He received both his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics, specializing in acoustics, at Southern Methodist University.

After working at the Univ. of Texas, the Naval School of Aviation Medicine in Pensacola, and the Univ. of Illinois doing acoustical research in hearing thresholds for the Navy, he moved to Orlando in 1968 and worked for the government doing underwater sound research for the Naval Research Laboratory's Underwater Sound Reference Division. Over the next 21 years, some of Lynn’s projects included working in the Caribbean assessing damage potential to cargo ships from underwater explosives, and with dolphins at three Sea World parks, in Orlando, San Diego, and Hawaii. At Sea World, he worked with animal behavioral psychologists testing dolphins’ hearing thresholds and their ability to use sonar to detect objects at various sound levels. He also developed an acoustic shock tube for the simulation of the intensity of underwater explosions. He retired in 1991, and worked as a consultant for the Navy for two more years.

Lynn was a true Renaissance man with interests and knowledge that spanned everything from science and art to car mechanics and cave spelunking. He was an inventive thinker and writer, and had a great sense of humor.

He was a talented artist and loved to listen to jazz music. He had a love for photography, developing his own pictures in his darkroom, and making beautiful prints which he often gave to friends and family. He started taking pictures with a Brownie camera as a child. He was also a master of filming and editing movies.

Lynn had a lifelong interest in cars, driving sports cars and working on them. His interest began in Dallas, and continued in Pensacola working at many SCCA races. He met Jane Cato in 1974 through a mutual friend in the Orlando Sports Car Club and they married in 1979. He organized and competed in local OSCC road rallies around Cen. Fla. for thirty years. Lynn was also the editor of the monthly OSCC newsletter for many years, writing stories and doing artwork.

Travel was a passion for him, and he and Jane visited all over the U.S.A., Canada and many countries in Europe, enjoying Ireland and France in particular. One of his favorite trips was in 2004 to Egypt which had fascinated him since childhood.

In the spring of 2000, he and Jane began working as volunteers at the Orange County Regional History Center in the Photo Archives department. With his background and experience in photography and interest in history, particularly the Civil War, it was a perfect job for him. He received a Jefferson Award for his work in 2006. He also volunteered at the Orlando Public Library bookstore pricing rare and collectable books.

He is survived by his wife Jane, his brother Dave Poché (Meg), his sister-in-law June Donaldson, his brother-in-law David Donaldson, and three nieces, Amy Wedincamp, Mary Jane Donaldson, and Elaine Poché.

Lynn will be sorely missed by his wife Jane, family and friends.

A visitation will be held at Carey Hand Colonial Funeral Home, 2811 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, on Thursday, July 12, from 6pm-8pm. Funeral service will take place on Friday, 1:30pm, at the Carey Hand Colonial Chapel. Burial to follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lynn’s honor to Univ. of Fla. Center for Movement Disorders at:

https://www.uff.ufl.edu/OnlineGiving/FundDetail.asp?FundCode=011341