Lynne D'Huyvetter

1949 - 2021

D'HUYVETTER (KRAMER), Lynne

Loving wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and neighbor—passed away peacefully on August 8, 2021. Lynne was at her beloved home on Bishop Lake, surrounded by family, and, as always, was radiating love. She was 71 years old.

Lynne was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on August 29, 1949, to Russell Arnold Kramer and Sara Lee Hellums Kramer. She moved to Atlanta in the fall of 1967 to attend Emory University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and early childhood education. There she met and fell in love with Charles Newcombe D'Huyvetter, whom she married in the Maryville College Woods on July 11, 1971. Charlie and Lynne settled in Atlanta, where Lynne began working toward her master's degree in education while teaching at Pitts Elementary School in the Perry Homes neighborhood of Atlanta. In 1992, Charlie and Lynne built their sanctuary of a home on Bishop Lake in Marietta, Georgia, where they raised their four children and where they have enjoyed countless days and nights with their nine grandchildren.

Lynne was, to put it mildly, a powerful woman. She was intellectually powerful, always learning and inquiring and questioning the world around her. A constant teacher, Lynne saw every situation as a learning opportunity—relentlessly finding ways to help those she loved learn the things they needed to learn.

Lynne was also emotionally and spiritually powerful. Throughout her life, she actively sought to promote equity and justice in the world—from volunteering with the SCLC during the civil rights movement and attending the march to end the war in Vietnam in 1969; to taking her young children to South Africa soon after the end of apartheid; to trekking around her local Target parking lot—crutches and all—to help people register to vote in the runup to the 2020 elections. Lynne lived a justice-seeking life.

But of all her powers—and there were many—Lynne's greatest power was love, and her greatest love was her family. Together, Lynne and Charlie raised four children: Laura Lee, Gretchen, Caroline, and Chas. Lynne dedicated her life to helping her children become the best versions of themselves. She wanted each of them to feel seen, known, loved, and supported—and they all will tell you that's exactly how they feel. Lynne did the same as a grandmother, working tirelessly to help her nine grandchildren feel her abiding love. She did that through both big gestures (as in yearly trips to the beach) and small (like Grandmomma's bottomless snack bag).

Lynne was also deeply devoted to her husband, Charlie. This year marked 50 years of marriage, and in honor of that milestone, 50 trees have been planted around the country.

Lynne's power of love extended well beyond her biological family, too. She enveloped her children's spouses in her love, making each of them feel like they were her children. And together, Lynne and Charlie built a devoted extended family in South Africa, complete with a father and mother, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, and cousins. The magnetic pull of Lynne's love was impossible to resist. She was remarkable.

Lynne is preceded in death by her mother and father. She is survived by her beloved husband, Charlie; by her children Laura Lee Johnson (James McRay Johnson, III), Gretchen Ann D'Huyvetter Cobb (James William Cobb), Caroline D'Huyvetter Carr (Travis Edward Carr), and Chas Newcombe D'Huyvetter (Rachel Burke D'Huyvetter); and by her nine grandchildren (Jonah and Lynaura Johnson; Ian, Andrew, Oliver, and Everett D'Huyvetter Cobb; Waylon and Mae Charles Carr; and Otis Gray D'Huyvetter).

A service of remembrance and thanksgiving will be held on Friday, August 13, 2021 at 2:00 PM at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. The Cathedral requires masks in the sanctuary, and the family requests that attendees be fully vaccinated.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Lynne's honor to three organizations that she was passionate about: Tutu Desks (tutudesk.org); Equal Justice Initiative (eji.org); and Love Beyond Walls (lovebeyondwalls.org).

Tutu Desks (Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing; Attn: Sandra Tarver for Tutu Desks, 807 Atlanta Student Movement Blvd., Atlanta, Georgia 30314).

Equal Justice Initiative (Equal Justice Initiative 122 Commerce St., Montgomery, AL 36104).

Love Beyond Walls (Love Beyond Walls 3270 East Main Street, College Park, GA 30337).