James J. LYNCH III

LYNCH, James J., III James Joseph Lynch III, passed away on April 17, 2011, after a terse battle with cancer. He was 63 years old. Know as 'Jimmy' to friends and family, he was born in New York City on December 15, 1947, to James Joseph Lynch Jr. and Ruth Barry Lynch of New Britain, Connecticut. Jimmy spent his early childhood in New Britain and later Haddam, Connecticut, where he developed a zeal for astronomy and nature while exploring the woods along the Connecticut River. The family moved to Texas in 1964, where Jimmy graduated from Hillcrest High School in Dallas. Jimmy lived in Dallas, Austin, and Krum, Texas for over 25 years. He returned to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1989, where he resided the rest of his life. Brilliant, witty, charming, irresponsible and eternal Peter Pan, he lived for that moment that he never quite discovered though he came pretty close at the end. Jimmy's youthful adventures were serialized in Southwest Review in the late nineteen- sixties and seventies under the title 'Flash Gordon, Whom I Loathe'. Jimmy studied art at the University of North Texas and was an accomplished artist and sculptor across multiple mediums, later in life focusing his talent on making marionettes. An avid reader and collector of Sherlock Holmes material, Jimmy also contributed poems to a small publication edited by the late poet, Gerald Burns. As a member of the American Artillery Association and crew of the 1st Battery, Connecticut Light Artillery, Jimmy often blew things up. As Co-Chairman and Regional Director-elect of a patient advocacy program and practicing C.M.A. at a local clinic, he worked to rebuild. Revered by anyone who knew him well, his motto of "There's always a parking space in front" reflects the resilient ebullience that he inspired so many with. A poem concerning the adolescent Jimmy appeared in David Searcy's Peter Rabbit's Tricks, in 1980. Jimmy is preceded in death by his parents, James J. Lynch, Jr., and Ruth Barry Lynch. He is survived by his beloved son, James Joseph Lynch IV, of Krum, Texas; devoted sister, Christine Lynch Banks, of Austin, Texas; loving brother, Joseph Patrick Lynch (Allyson), and nephew, Chase Joseph Lynch, of Boston, Massachusetts; best friend, Marsha Banas, and her dog Sydney, of Hartford, Connecticut. A memorial service will be held in Austin, Texas, at a date to be announced. Gifts in support of cancer research can be made to The University of Connecticut Health Science Center.