Gwendolyn T. Lynch

ALICE GWENDOLYN THOMAS LYNCH’s favorite quotation was “God does not measure life by length. He measures it by depth.” Her life exemplifies that assertion. A resident of Lochearn, Maryland, she made her transition into The Lord’s Kingdom at Good Samaritan Hospital on October 24th at age ninety-two and one month after a sustained, valiant eighteen years as a kidney dialysis patient who suffered with arthritis. It is rare for someone at her advanced age to endure such rigorous treatments. Everyone who knew her admired her physical courage, emotional resilience, intelligent monitoring of ailments, and strong belief in her Saviour. Her advice for living was “Keep your hand in God’s hand and ask for His guidance.” Mrs. Lynch gave her body to science. As “Mamaw,” a nickname created by her grandson and adopted by others, she proudly carried the legacy of her maternal great-grandmother, Rebecca Maxfield, who lived until she was 103, her maternal grandmother, Alice Peck Sampson (102), and her mother (99 years and ten months). Gwen’s long life is now a gift to the many people who loved her dearly. She was born in Baltimore at home in the 1400 block of Etting Street on September 15, 1920, to George Bernard Thomas and Agnes May Sampson Thomas. Her older siblings were Ellen Celestine Thomas Hilliard and George Bernard Thomas, Jr. As a congregant at St. James’ Episcopal Church, she received the sacrament of holy confirmation from Reverend George Bragg in 1931. She married Charles Henry “Buck” Lynch, who began “courting” after a party at her friend Elaine Swan’s home when he was a junior at Virginia State and she was in her first year in normal school. They had an active social life, especially every New Year’s Eve when The Guardsmen held an elaborate dance. And also engaged in disco era dancing. The couple dedicated themselves to developing the property in West Cape May, working hand-in-hand since 1959. Firm believers in advancing the status of blacks, they worked to enhance life in the Baltimore community and were stalwart and dependable within their extended families. He departed on Palm Sunday in 2003 after years of being a business education teacher and administrator in the Baltimore public schools system. They are survived by sons Dr. Charles Henry Lynch III, who resides in Brooklyn, New York, and Thomas Lee Lynch, who lives in Foxridge, Maryland. Gwen began school at Murphy Elementary School #112, attended Booker T. Washington Junior High School, and Douglass Senior High School, graduating in 1937 at sixteen. She was a dedicated worker since girlhood, scrubbing the white marble steps every Saturday of her home on McCulloh Street. In her first paid job, at seventeen, she worked with children in the Baltimore Parks Division at the Cloverdale Road playground near Druid Hill Park. Then she attended Fannie Coppin Normal School, graduating in 1940 with a three-year teaching certificate. She wanted to attend a four-year college, but her father felt after high school she should get a job as soon as possible. She liked younger children and chose kindergarten. She taught in Baltimore’s elementary schools for twenty-eight years, beginning in 1946 in the third grade at Public School #116 and fifth grade at #101. From 1948 to 1958 she taught kindergarten at Henry Highland Garnet Public School #103 (Division Street near Lafayette Avenue). She desired a greater challenge and became interested in clinical studies and helping children with disabilities. In the 1960s she returned to school at Morgan State College and attained a B.S. in Elementary Education. After commuting while still teaching and taking a summer program at Philadelphia’s Temple University, she received a Master’s in Speech Pathology and Audiology. From 1966 to 1973 Gwen Lynch worked as a Special Education speech therapist for the Speech Pathology Department of Baltimore City Public Schools. In 1976 she was awarded the Public School Teachers Association Certificate of Honor in appreciation for her years of service. From 1973 to 1982 Gwendolyn was a Clinical Supervisor and part-time faculty member in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Towson State University, the position she retired from in 1982. She continued to work from 1983 to 1986 as a part-time speech and language pathologist at Park School in Brooklandville, Maryland. When asked, “What was your proudest accomplishment?” she stated, “Passing my oral examinations at Temple University for my Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology and teaching at Mt. St. Agnes College and Towson State University.” Mrs. Lynch has been on the Board of Directors of the Speech and Hearing Agency of Baltimore; a member of Maryland Speech and Hearing Association (MSHA); a member of American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA). In retirement she had private clients and volunteered to help children with special needs. She was on the Board of Directors of St. James’ Academy and a member of the St. Agnes Guild of St. James’ Episcopal Church. Her civic commitments were to the Forest Garden Improvement Association, the Urban League and NAACP, and the Cape May Center for Community Arts. She helped establish the social club, The PALS, which she has enjoyed for over sixty years. Gwen indulged her pleasures and loved sharing them with family and friends. Root beer. Cheese and crackers with wine spritzers. Soft-shell and hard-shell crabs. Homemade rolls. Lemon meringue pie. Sticky buns. Custard-filled donuts. Asparagus, spinach — and, unfortunately, turnips, which she often had to consume alone. Favorite pastimes were swimming, spending the summer in her West Cape May home and lying in the sun on the beach, and watching gymnastics, ice skating and ice dancing. Intrigued by “How to?” and “Why?” she liked to read, especially subjects in psychology and sociology concerning child development. She attended the Cape May Jazz Festival for fifteen years until her husband’s decease. Her memories of jazz concerts at the Baltimore Museum of Art; in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and in New Orleans, stirred smiles and excited conversation. She loved Hawaii’s beautiful landscapes. “Flowers bloomed in the gutters. Peacocks walked along the railing at breakfast. At luaus the night was lit by torches.” She and her husband also toured with friends to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, England, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, and Spain. Immediate survivors who will cherish her memory are sons Charles and Thomas and their wives Gayle Marshall Lynch and Sandra Campbell Lynch; grandson Cameron Peter Lynch; granddaughter Candice Dixon of Elmont, New York; great-granddaughters Azha Lynch, Bliss Lynch, and Camryn Lynch; sister-in-law Annie Thomas, grand-niece Myra Thomas, her husband Evan, and their daughters Chloe and Maia of Fanwood, New Jersey; dear friends Patricia Koger and George and Ryna Johnson; and her companions and caregivers Carolyn Shoulders and Clarice Bryant.

Tributes

Gwendolyn T. Lynch

September 15, 1920 - October 24, 2012