Dr. Jack Lynch
December 16, 1934 — April 30, 2015
Jack Lynch died at the age of 80 in his home at Horizon House in Seattle, on April 30, 2015, surrounded by the people who loved him, his wife and children.
He was born John Irving Lynch, Jr., on Dec. 16, 1934. He is survived by his loving wife, Ingrid Lynch, and his children, John Christopher Lynch of Chapel Hill, N.C., Suzanne Siobhan Lynch of Virginia Beach, Va., Michael Allen Healy of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Maureen Anne Healy of Portland, Ore., as well as seven grandchildren.
In his retirement, music was at the center of Jack’s life. He played the clarinet with the Eastside Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Philharmonic and Island Sinfonia in the San Juans. During his time with the Sinfonia he also took great joy in learning to conduct. From 2004 to 2011, he and Ingrid enjoyed their retirement on Shaw Island. During retirement Jack took great comfort in the companionship of his feline friends Dierdre, Amigo and Hunter.
While Jack was secular during much of his adult life, he returned to the Catholic faith of his youth while living on Shaw Island. There he enjoyed services at the Lady of Our Rock.
Prior to moving to the San Juans, Jack established his private practice, Redmond Pediatrics, where he worked for 29 years. In addition to serving his patients at Redmond Pediatrics, Jack made many contributions to young people. He served on the school board of the Lake Washington School District during the 1980s. He also coached boys’ soccer for many years.
Jack left his parents’ home at the age of 15 to attend the pioneering Early Admissions Program established by Robert Hutchins at the University of Chicago, from which he obtained his BA and BS degrees. He obtained his MD from the Medical College of Virginia at the University of Richmond and did his residency at Bethesda Medical Center. He joined the U.S. Navy and served as chief medical officer on the U.S. Sam Houston Polaris missile submarine.
Jack’s hobbies were many and varied. He thrived in the outdoors – skiing, backpacking and mountain climbing in the Cascades and kayaking in Puget Sound. Jack had a great mind that he exercised regularly, playing bridge and teaching himself to read and write Gaelic. In his retirement he took up woodworking, and two of his beautiful totem poles stand on his property on Shaw Island.
Jack lived life with zeal and enriched the lives of the many people he touched during his journey.
Gifts in Jack’s honor may be made to the Eastside Symphony (www.eastsidesymphony.org) or the Seattle Humane Society (www.seattlehumane.org). Please sign his guestbook at funerals.coop.
— Family of Jack Lynch
