Charlotte Gayle Lynch

Gayle was born June 11, 1943, in Gadsden, Alabama, to Al Pesnell and Hazel Gore. She lost her mother when she was young and was raised by her father and stepmother, Mary Pesnell. As a young girl, Gayle enjoyed sports, including basketball. She was naturally artistic and could draw beautifully—a creativity that stayed with her throughout her life.

Gayle was preceded in death by her husband, Franklin Lynch. Their marriage was a partnership in every sense of the word. They could argue and disagree like any two strong people, but when it came to raising their children and later helping raise their grandchildren, they were a team.

She is survived by her children, Greg, Syconda (Sunnie), Stacey, and Sloan; her grandchildren, Shane, Josh, Brandon, Moriah, Morgan, and Candler; as well as her great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Gayle was protective, stubborn, caring, and almost always had a smile waiting for you. She was the person everyone called. Whether you needed encouragement, advice, help, or simply someone to listen, Gayle was there. Don’t let her sweet demeanor fool you, she was never afraid to be the disciplinarian. Generations of our family will probably never forget being told to go pick their own switch.

She believed strongly in manners and respect. At her table, you couldn’t “eww” someone else's food. You could politely refuse something, but you were expected to at least try it and remain polite regardless of what you thought.

Food and family went hand in hand in Gayle's home.

Easter and Christmas Eve were especially important. Her house would be loud and chaotic, filled with family and children, with almost no room left in the kitchen because that was inevitably where everyone gathered. Everyone brought something, while Gayle and her daughter, Syconda, prepared much of the meal.

Twice a year, the same amber glass bowl appeared. Inside was the family-famous “Green Stuff”—lime gelatin, cottage cheese, pecans, and maraschino cherries. It was part of Easter and Christmas Eve just as much as the people around the table. Her family will deeply miss her cooking, especially her chicken and dumplings.

Gayle loved books and coffee. A familiar visit with Gran meant walking through the door, the television might be playing in the background while she sat in her favorite chair reading a book. Maybe Janet Evanovich or one of her other favorite authors. The smell of coffee she had made earlier drifting throughout the house and being greeted with a big smile and a hug.

She was also a wonderful storyteller. Some were family stories passed from one generation to another. Some carried lessons, like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Others were simply funny because no one could tell them quite the way Gran could. Those stories became part of growing up around her.

Above all else, Gayle loved her family.

She gave encouragement when it was needed, discipline when it was deserved, acceptance when someone needed a safe place to land, and pride when they accomplished something important. She wanted to know what was happening in the lives of the people she loved, and their dreams mattered to her.

Her family has lost a force—a woman whose stubbornness, humor, warmth, stories, traditions, expectations, and enormous capacity to care that helped shape generations.

There will be things that simply won't feel quite the same without her. Easter and Christmas Eve. A crowded kitchen. Chicken and dumplings. That amber glass bowl. Coffee brewing. A good book sitting beside a favorite chair. A family story told for the hundredth time.

Gayle will be deeply missed, but what she gave her family did not leave with her. Her encouragement, discipline, acceptance, pride, stories, traditions, [photo cuts off here] and love live on through her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

A graveside service honoring Gayle's life will be held Monday, September 21, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Horis A. Ward – Fairview Memorial Gardens, 376 Fairview Road, Stockbridge, Georgia 30281. Family and friends are invited to gather to remember Gayle, share the stories she left behind, and honor the love she gave so generously.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Gayle's memory may help fulfill one of her heartfelt wishes: supporting her granddaughter Moriah and her dog, Burnzie, as they pursue their journey to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. In this way, one more dream Gayle was excited to see may continue forward with the family she loved so dearly.

For more information, please contact Gayle's daughter, Sloan Lewis, at 770-403-9493.