Lynda Catherine HAYASHI

1947 - 2022

On December 8, 2022, at 2:12 a.m., Lynda's cell phone pinged. It was a message from Heaven letting her know her room was ready, and she was being called home. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2022. Though her surgery was successful, and her margins and lymph nodes were clear, Lynda passed away from a cardiac episode most likely caused by her pancreatic cancer. She is terribly missed by her husband of nearly 39 years and a multitude of her friends and family.

Lynda was born on November 19, 1947, in Spokane, Washington, the eldest child of her parents, Thomas J. Egger and Clyda R. Egger. She grew up in Spokane and graduated from John Rogers High School. Lynda was elected to the Rogers Walk of Fame in 2008. She then attended Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon, where she met her wonderful college roommates who got together every two years. They last met in 2019 in Southern California but were unable to meet in 2021 due to COVID restrictions. Lynda also undertook post-graduate studies at San Francisco State University and Whitworth University. Lynda received her Masters of Education from Gonzaga University in 1999, something of which she was very proud.

After graduating from Warner Pacific College with a degree in education, Lynda and a couple of her roommates thought it would be fun to move to San Francisco to live and work, taking their cue from the Mary Tyler Moore show. Lynda even bought the wide-brimmed hat like Mary Tyler Moore so she could live the part. While there, she worked for an insurance company as part of its clerical staff. After being tired of living in the big city, Lynda returned to Spokane to find a teaching job with School District 81.

Throughout her illustrious career, Lynda was the media specialist (the new term for librarian) for Cooper Elementary, Sheridan Elementary, Hamblen Elementary (just briefly), and Audubon Elementary Schools. She had a calling for teaching at Chapter One schools and enjoyed teaching those students. As a teacher, Lynda was very active in the Spokane Education Association (SEA), bargaining contracts and negotiating with School Administration. She was the President of the SEA from 1989 to 1992.

Lynda met her future husband, Art, in 1982 at a birthday party for a mutual friend at the old Tin Ear Bar. When she got ready to leave the party, she looked at Art, saying "See you in the funny pages," and then kissed him quickly. Art was hooked. They started dating in May 1982 and were married on March 31, 1984. Lynda was never a big sports fan until she met Art. She became a big fan of Gonzaga men's basketball after attending the first and second rounds of the 2002 NCAA tournament in Memphis, Tennessee and she became a Gonzaga women's basketball fan during the Courtney Vandersloot era. By virtue of having season tickets to their games, Lynda was able to attend Gonzaga's Final Four appearances in 2017 and 2021.

After retiring from School District 81 in 2008, Lynda went to work as a Human Resources Consultant with Red and Associates in Spokane, Washington, where she served as a conflict resolution specialist. She enjoyed her time and work for Red and Associates till she retired in 2015.

In her retirement, Lynda loved to travel. She went to the United Kingdom twice, France and Italy three times, Australia once, and finishing with a Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest in 2018. While on that cruise, she made life-long friends who have since met over ZOOM at least twice a year, went wine tasting in Walla Walla, Washington, and planned another river cruise down the Nile River with a stop in the Holy Land in 2024.

Though retired, Lynda never stopped learning. She took art classes, singing lessons, Japanese and Italian lessons, and a photography class. She was an avid reader and a member of a book club that she loved dearly. She was physically active and attended ZUMBA classes twice a week at the South Hill YMCA until the pandemic canceled classes. Lynda was also a patient participant in the Kidney Precision Medicine Project, a national consortium made up of patient representatives, researchers, and clinicians organized to study the needs of kidney disease and find new ways to treat chronic kidney disease. She attended her last meeting in April 2022.

Lynda is survived by her husband Art Hayashi and her two brothers Max Egger (Deer Park) and John Egger (Spokane) and numerous nieces and nephews. She was a beloved wife, aunt, and friend. A memorial service will be held for Lynda at Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church, 4102 S. Crestline Street, Spokane, Washington on January 28, 2023, at 1:00 pm. Memorial contributions can be made in her honor at the Vanessa Behan, Second Harvest Inland Northwest, or the Union Gospel Mission of Spokane. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Pacific Northwest Cremation.