Dr. James C. Lynch

Lynch, Dr. James C. Sr., of Dunedin, FL, formerly of Center Barnstead, NH and Randolph, MA, on February 12 at age 89. Devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend. He was the beloved husband of the late Caryl (Needham) Lynch and son of the late William J. Lynch and Colombe I (Cyr). Left behind to continue his legacy of being the best you can be are his children, James C. Lynch, Jr. and his wife Megan of Hanover, Nancy Carey and her wife Alice (Missy) of Pembroke, William Lynch and his wife Jennifer of Stow and Susan Lynch (O’Brien) of South Boston, along with his grandchildren Katie, Mary Grace, Sarah, Allie, Kiersten, Joseph and Bridget, brothers-in-law Peter Barry Needham and his wife Betty Ann of Randolph and Paul Bruce Needham and his wife Gayle of San Dimas, CA, sisters-in-law Rita Needham of Naples, FL and Marilyn (Meg) Needham of Duxbury. He is now reunited with his sweetheart Caryl, his parents, his sister Nancy Jean, and his son-in-law Dan O’Brien. Jim also leaves behind his devoted caregiver Lorraine who helped care for him after Caryl was called home to God. His family is appreciative of the love and care shown to him by the aides, nurses, and dining staff at Sunrise of Braintree over the past eight months. He especially appreciated Mohammed “Chief” who was a constant in providing care for him with dignity and respect.

Jim was born in Brockton on December 15, 1936, and raised in Randolph. He attended Archbishop Williams High School and was a member of the second graduating class in 1954. “Jimmy” excelled in sports at Archies including baseball and basketball. He reminisced about playing point guard, winning the Catholic Tourney, and following that up with playing in the state championship (Tech Tourney) against Brockton on the parquet floor at The Boston Garden. With a passion for writing, Jimmy provided the “Bishop” news as a reporter to the regional newspaper, the Brockton Enterprise.

After High school he earned a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from Boston College in 1958. Following college, he served his country as a correspondent for the United States Army.

While serving in the Army at Fort Lee in Virginia, Jim met the love of his life, Caryl Needham, during a weekend visit back home. They were married on July 14, 1962, started their family a few years later in Randolph, and spent the next 62 years together.

Jim was always known for his diligence and work ethic. He kept his house and yard impeccable, painting his garage floors and seal coating his driveway on a yearly basis. There was not a weed to be found in his yard, and he removed every leaf that blew into the cracks of the stone wall in the backyard.

Jim worked many part time jobs including hardware store clerk, painter, bowling alley manager, lifeguard, summer camp counselor, and U.S. Mail letter carrier. Jim started his career as Assistant Manager of drapes and shades for Gilchrest Department Store. After a year of retail, he decided to follow his father’s path and pursue his true vocation as an educator.

Jim began his calling in education in 1964 as an elementary school teacher in the Canton Public School system for fifth and sixth graders prior to being promoted to teaching principal and later principal. He was the longtime principal of the Hemenway Elementary School in Canton until its closure in 1981. He then spent a year as principal of the John F. Kenney School. He knew every student and many of their families and when school was cancelled due to snow, he drove around the district to make sure no lost souls were headed to school. He was a true leader who recognized the importance of the role of community in shaping the children of the future. As a lifetime learner, he continued his own education, earning his Master of Education (M.Ed.) from Boston State College and later his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Nova University in Florida.

To support his growing family, Jim worked second and third jobs. He was a Call Firefighter for the Randolph Fire Department where he often worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (before they were known as EMTs), and as the driver for the town ambulance. He was the Director of Recreation at the Massachusetts Hospital School for Handicapped Children (now the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children) in Canton. There he spent his after-school hours coaching wheelchair basketball and wheelchair hockey. He was instrumental in bringing the fully accessible, state-of-the-art adaptive recreation facility to the Hospital School. While holding down three jobs, he managed to always make time for his family. He was active in coaching youth basketball in Randolph as well as CYO teams that played in Brockton.

In fall of 1982, Jim accepted the offer to become the Assistant Superintendent of Canton Public Schools and finally retired from all other part-time jobs. He served seventeen years in that role until his retirement in 1999. During his time as Assistant Superintendent, he performed the dual role of Interim Superintendent for nearly a year in 1997 to facilitate a transition of the administration.

After retiring, Jim & Caryl sold the house where they raised their children and moved full time to their house on Locke Lake in Center Barnstead, NH where they had spent weekends for a decade prior to retirement. A visit to friends in the sunnier climate of Florida led to a relocation there to Dunedin, where they enjoyed retirement until they returned to the northeast in 2024 to be closer to family. During their 25 years in Florida, none of his four children used the hand printed driving directions from MA to FL that their dad provided them prior to heading South.

Jim loved being a coach, a teacher, and a mentor and he embraced the opportunity to revisit those roles he performed so well in his career when he became “Papa”. Although Jim was an avid Boston sports fan throughout his life, the only thing he enjoyed more than watching one of his beloved Boston teams win, was watching and cheering his children and grandchildren as they played sports or performed in school concerts or plays.

In his retirement Jim played softball until age seventy-five and golfed three times a week until age eighty. He was active in volunteer work and was a member of many clubs and organizations including the Knights of Columbus, Elks, American Legion and Dunedin and Clearwater Country Clubs. The walls in his house were covered with the multitude of awards he received. He was very active in the Lions Club where he served as President of the Canton, Massachusetts and later the Palm Harbor, Florida Lions clubs. As a Lion, he earned the prestigious Melvin Jones Award. He was a lifelong devout Catholic and took pride in being head usher for many years at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin, Florida for the early Sunday (“Golfer’s”) Mass.

Jim lived a full, long, and remarkable life and has left a lasting impact on many of the family, friends, teachers, and students whose lives he was a part of. He will be forever missed.

Visiting hours are Tuesday, February 24th 4:00 – 7:00 at DeWare Funeral Home, 576 Hancock Street Quincy. A funeral Mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Church, 44 School Street, Quincy on Wednesday, February 25th at 11:00AM. Burial will be in Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne at a later date.

Donations in Jim’s name may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes 750 San Salvador Dr, Dunedin, FL 34698 or to Lions International.