The Entire Turf Industry Mourns the Loss of Bob Lynch, Jr. of Eldersburg, MD. MTC Past President 1988 & 1989
Charles Robert Lynch Jr., former sales and service manager of the C.R. Lynch International Harvester Company in Reisterstown, has died, August 30, 2019, after a long illness. The Eldersburg resident was 86.
Born on January 8, 1933, Bob was the first of six children born to Charles Robert Lynch, Sr., an accountant for the International Harvester Company, and Mary Katherine Kerr Lynch, a Mercy nurse. The family's original home was located on North Hilton Street in the Walbrook section of Baltimore. Bob was a student at St. Cecilia's Catholic School where he met many friends to whom he remained devoted throughout his entire life. After completing his education at Loyola High School and City College, Bob joined his father's fledgling farm equipment dealership in Glyndon. By the mid-1950's, the family had moved to Glyndon and had become parishioners of The Sacred Heart Church. It was there that Bob met and fell in love with Nancy Lee Hughes, the daughter of a Worthington Valley farmer. They married on a snowy day in January of 1956. One of Bob's lifelong friends from elementary school, Bart Duerr of New Smyrna Beach, FL, said that in spite of good naturedly kidding Bob about “taking the plunge”, “marrying Nancy was one of the best things Bob ever did.”
Shortly after their wedding, Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was soon given orders for a tour of duty in Germany. Initially despondent about leaving his new wife, his melancholy was replaced by rejoicing when Nancy was able to join him in Germany for the duration of his stay. Bob often reminisced about the exceptionally happy days they spent together in Europe, a place they could only have dreamed of visiting.
Bob's career in the equipment business continued after the family's operation was closed in 1980. He took a job with the Toro Company in 1981 and within a year or so, moved on to the G.L. Cornell Company in Gaithersburg. Cornell specialized in equipment for the maintenance of golf courses, an enterprise that took Bob to country clubs all over the state. To enhance his knowledge of the propagation of specialty grasses, Bob joined The Maryland Turfgrass Council and ultimately served as the council president.
Aside from his life's work, Bob enjoyed many other things. He was an excellent wood-worker and the birdhouses he made for family members continue to offer nesting places for homeless birds in many a backyard. He was also interested in antique cars and was a long-standing member of the Chesapeake Region Antique Automobile Club of America. But ever present in all of Bob's endeavors was a songbook of delightful music that leaned toward smooth jazz, but was dominated by the luscious harmonies of The Four Freshmen. He never ever tired of listening to them.
In the winter of his years, Bob often looked backward on his life, gilded with golden memories. He was blessed with the rare talent of being able to recall in accurate detail the people, places, events, and most astonishingly, the exact date of the occasion, including the day of the week. He enchanted many an avid listener with stories of the 1940's and 1950's. A lovely piece of writing by Mark Twain aptly describes Bob's state of mind in his later years: “The old days have trooped by in their glory again. The old faces have looked out of the mists of the past, old footsteps have sounded in my listening ears, old hands have clasped mine, old voices have greeted me, and the songs I loved ages and ages ago, have come wailing down the centuries.”
Among Bob's life-long friends was Edward Hainke of Lusby, Maryland. Several days before his death and barely able to speak, Bob reached Ed by phone to tell him good-bye and that he loved him. What a fine final gift to give to an old pal.
Bob leaves behind two very devoted sons, Matthew Joseph Lynch of Eldersburg who counts himself “so blessed to have had this great man as my father.” And Patrick Dennis Lynch of Santa Ana, California. To him, Bob was “the greatest father a son could ever have.” Also he leaves five cherished grandchildren: Benjamin, Tyler, Patrick, Francesca and Bianca; four siblings: Michael Lynch, Anne Collins, Mary Whitcraft and Elizabeth Myers, and a host of nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Edward, and by his most beloved wife, Nancy, who died in 2009. Not a single day has passed since then that Bob did not speak lovingly of her.
The family will receive visitors on Wednesday, September 4, from 3-5 and 7-9 pm at the ECKHARDT FUNERAL CHAPEL, P.A., 11605 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117. A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, September 5, at 12:30 pm at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 63 Sacred Heart Lane, Glyndon, MD 21071. Interment to follow in Lake View Memorial Park, Sykesville, MD.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.
The Maryland Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 389, St. Michaels, MD 21663 Phone: (443) 742-6618