Edward Austin Lynch

Edward A. Lynch, Sr. passed away peacefully on August 27, 2013. He is preceded in death by his parents, James and Lillian Lynch and his brother, James, Jr. He is survived by his beloved wife, Marion - a 61 year marriage made in heaven and an example to the rest of us.
He is also survived by his children, Edward, Jr. and his wife, Carol, and his daughter Linda Corso and her husband, Gary, and his two grandchildren, Robert Corso and his wife, Amanda, and Matthew Corso, and his great-grandchildren, Jeremy Corso and Bryce Murphy.
Born in Manhattan, NY in 1923, and raised on Staten Island, he became a cub reporter in high school earning the nickname, Scout. He became an electrician's apprentice following high school but was soon drafted into the army at age 19. His high score earned him positions in the US at first but he then headed into the thick of it at the Battle of the Bulge. He served in several campaigns, ending at the border of Czechoslovakia. At war's end, he guarded the prisoners in Nuremberg.
He never talked about all the horrors he endured at war. Instead he shared little vignettes such as how despite all his careful efforts to keep his feet and socks dry in the trenches, he ended up with Athlete's Foot when, in a hurried moment, he accidentally leaped into the army boots of a fellow soldier who wasn't as careful. Or at war's end in Germany, he caught a fellow soldier (who had an attitude of 'to the victor go the spoils') upstairs in a farm house stealing - he made the soldier put the things back.
Following the war, he worked, trained and joined the NY Bell Telephone Company. He worked for them his entire career through all of the phone company's evolutions and final divisions into the baby Bells. So many times they tried to promote him to a desk job and he refused - he was a craftsman who needed to work with his hands, and a people person who loved the customers he served -- and they loved him back. He knew where he belonged, where he was happy.
He raised a family on Long Island and taught them his values, his sense of humor and his humanity. He always knew how to make others feel good; and boy could he ham it up for the camera! He was loved by old and young alike. Decades after he'd taught his own kids to ride a bike, he was fixing the tires and tightening the handle bars of the bikes of the neighborhood children.
In retirement, he and Marion eventually moved to Maryland to be near their first grandson who called him Pa because he was too young to pronounce grandpa. It fit and it stuck. Ed became active in his adult community delivering the community paper, traveling, golfing, bowling and even discovering his acting chops in a community play! He was also an avid and knowledgeable bird watcher. He had a musician's ear and could sing, imitate birds, and whistle a tune in perfect pitch. He loved country music and singing the Spanish songs he learned from a beloved high school Spanish teacher.
Although he succumbed to Alzheimer's in his later years, he would not want anyone to be sad for him. He'd be asking us to smile, ham it up and join him in a little Spanish song he loved to sing: "Adios, muchachos, companeros de mi vida... " And if there are no bicycles in heaven to repair, he's now fixing angel's wings.
Eddie, Dad, Pa - we love you!
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association.