Juanita Lynch

Juanita Burton Lynch Juanita Burton Lynch, beloved wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother, passed away at her home in Huntsville on January 7, 2012. In a remarkable life that spanned nearly a century, Juanita exemplified the ideals of unselfish service, personal discipline, and deep spiritual commitment she absorbed in childhood. With her zest for living, her loyalty to family and country, and her warm and generous nature, she has long been regarded with reverent affection by her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends. Juanita Burton was born on September 4, 1912, to Wharton Howard Burton, a North Texas settler of Welsh extraction, and Fannie E. (Still) Burton, in Sherman, Texas. Her early years, and those of her two younger brothers Bud and Bo, were shadowed by the death of their young father in the great influenza pandemic of 1918, yet she found solace and strength in the fortitude of her mother and the supportive presence of her fatherÂ’s brothers, Henry and Cleveland. The moral and spiritual center of her household, her fatherÂ’s half brother, Alonzo Burton, known to all as Â“Brother Lon,Â” was a bedridden invalid who devoted his life to helping others and whose mentorship provided Juanita with a lifelong commitment to the principles articulated in Â“The Sermon on the Mount.Â” Though the pathways of her adult life took her far away from Sherman, Texas, she never lost her sense of Brother LonÂ’s guiding and compassionate presence. JuanitaÂ’s 1930 graduation from Sherman High School coincided with the darkest early days of The Great Depression. A talented painter, she attended Austin College on an art scholarship, but like many Americans at this time, financial and family considerations forced her to put her academic plans on hold. She helped her mother and stepfather, Ephraim Lindsey Stephenson, who had been appointed an official of the Texas Prison System, moved to Huntsville, Texas, then departed for Dallas where she worked as a fashion artist and copywriter for A. / Harris and Company. Over the next two years she would work for Texas newspapers in Tyler and Palestine, and always said that had she not gone into the First National Bank, on a visit to Huntsville, and met Ray Lynch, a local boy who was then working as a teller, she might have made a career of the newspaper business. Juanita Burton married First Lieutenant William Ray Lynch, Jr. on July 9, 1941 at the home of Tibbie and Sam Parish in Huntsville. She saw her husband depart with the 36th division to North Africa less than a year later. Juanita spent the war years teaching art and speech at Sam Houston State TeacherÂ’s College. After the war was over, RayÂ’s decision to make the military a career was, in a sense, the great Â“swerveÂ” of JuanitaÂ’s life, and she approached the uncertainties of military life with characteristic enthusiasm and verve. Over the next 27 years, Juanita would plant her foot on every continent on the globe save South America and Africa. Whether visiting or taking up residence, this small-town Texas girl would embrace the culture of each locale, from Bonn, Germany in the post-war years to New Delhi, India in the turbulent late 60Â’s. Along the way, she became a loving mother of two children, a peerless diplomatic and military wife, an unparalleled homemaker, an acclaimed painter and teacher of art, an inveterate reader and genealogical researcher, and a leading light of volunteer organizations too numerous to mention. Â“LetÂ’s get busy on this,Â” was her mantra; in 1950-51 while Ray was fighting the Korean War and Juanita was single-mothering two pre-school age children, she graduated cum laude from Sam Houston State TeacherÂ’s College with a B.S. in Art, while simultaneously spearheading a project on the vocational rehabilitation of war veterans. In 1952, when RayÂ’s duty took him to Norfolk, Virginia, Juanita joined the Fine Arts faculty of William and Mary College. During RayÂ’s subsequent tour at The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Juanita transformed the household basement into a studio teaching art to both children and adults. In 1962, she was elected President of the Officers Wives Club at Fort Benning, Georgia, at that time the largest womenÂ’s organization in the world, and was designated Â“Woman of the YearÂ” by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. When Ray retired as a Brigadier General in 1971 and the couple moved back to Huntsville to care for their elderly mothers, Juanita immersed herself (pre-internet days) in genealogical research, finding considerable satisfaction in the scholarly adventure of discovering the name, dates and historical connections that bring the past to life. In the course of her investigations she qualified for membership in the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Colonists, and Colonial Dames of the 17th Century. She was an member of the Walker County Genealogical Society and contributed her art work as covers for their publications. Following RayÂ’s death in 1995, Juanita found the friendships forged with her colleagues in these organizations most sustaining and comforting. JuanitaÂ’s love of reading and research led her to serve on the board of The Huntsville Public Library where despite her failing eyesight she also contributed her artistic skills in the creation of identification markers and book covers. Her special interest in veterans found an outlet in the Hearts Veterans Museum where she worked under the director, Charlotte Olenick, and served on the board. Juanita also took great pride in her honorary membership in the Lone Star Chapter of the United States Marines. She considered her work with the Lynch Family Scholarship Foundation at Sam Houston State University to be both the significant accomplishment of her later years and a labor of love, devoted to the memory of the husband and sisters-in-law she so adored. Juanita was active in her church, St. StephenÂ’s Episcopal, and her membership in Daughters of the King, an organization devoted to intercessory prayers, was one of the joys of her life. Juanita is survived by her children, son, William Ray Lynch III and wife Ruby of Kingsland, Texas; daughter Tibbie Elizabeth Lynch and husband Harry Grzelewski of Flushing, New York; grandchildren William Ray Lynch IV, Mary Rebecca Lynch, Patrick Lynch Grzelewski and wife Megan Sklar Grzelewski; great granddaughter Ava Mae Grzelewski, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. She leaves behind her dearest friend Marie Middleton of Houston, Texas and close family friends Doug and Bonnie Strub, Dennis, Sandra, and Denzel Bradford, and Lenora Richardson, all of Huntsville. She also leaves behind her many friends and colleagues from her beloved home town of Huntsville. Final services will be held at St. StephenÂ’s Episcopal Church at 1 PM Friday, January 27, 2012. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Lynch Family Scholarship Fund at Sam Houston State University. Those wishing to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so at www.shmfh.com.

Juanita Lynch

September 4, 1912 - January 27, 2012