Catherine A. Lynch

CATHERINE A. LYNCH

Catherine A. Lynch, a beloved partner and dear friend who lived life to the fullest, died on March 26, 2026, at her home in Arlington, VA after a long illness. She was 64.

Born in New York City on June 23, 1961, to Patrick J. and Grace Louise Rose Lynch, and raised in Savannah, GA, Catherine's life was defined by her boundless curiosity; her many interests; her exceptional talents; and her deep commitment to making everything she encountered a little bit better. In addition to her many professional achievements, she was a writer, a speaker of multiple languages, a US Masters Swimming competitor, an accomplished pianist, a talented artist, a skilled gardener, an avid traveler, a voracious reader, and an enthusiastic cook and restaurant-goer. Catherine embodied hospitality, taking joy in hosting Thanksgivings and Passovers, always accompanied by excellent cocktails, and always with wonderful, wide-ranging conversations. Most importantly, Catherine always found time to be a loving partner to her wife Robyn and a caring friend to many.

Among Catherine's many passions was her love of language. A reader by age three (and so advanced that she skipped the second grade), from the time she could hold a pencil she delighted in writing about and reporting on the world around her. In college at Yale University, she served as both a writer and board member for the Yale Daily News while at the same time working as a reporter for the Savannah Gazette and writing for several college literary magazines. While at Yale, she was also elected to St. Anthony Hall (at the time, one of only two secret societies at Yale with women members). Catherine had a remarkable facility with languages: she was fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and Latin, and proficient in Japanese, Hebrew, and Hungarian.

Catherine graduated from Yale in 1982 with a B.A. in Philosophy. After graduation, her writing ability and her strong quantitative and interpersonal skills helped fuel her rapid ascent in the world of finance, her career choices always fueled by a sense of larger purpose. Her first job after college was as a researcher at Fred Alger & Co. in New York City. Within a year, she was hired away by Prudential-Bach Securities and promoted to Capital Goods Industry Analyst where she was regularly quoted in mainstream publications. After four years as an equity analyst and wanting to do more in the midst of the AIDS crisis, she left Wall Street to work in public policy, first working in the NYC Office of Management & Budget administering AIDS spending requests, and then serving for four years as Deputy Director of Public Policy at GMHC/Gay Men's Health Crisis.

Catherine rarely had to look for a job—opportunities always seemed to come looking for her. In 1994, the Soros Foundation hired her to develop financial management infrastructure and train new foundation staff in Eastern Europe on financial policies and procedures. She then moved to the Episcopal Church of America where she overhauled financial operations to align with industry standards in the aftermath of a multi-million-dollar embezzlement by a Church administrative assistant.

Catherine's career in investment management began in 1999 when she joined The George Washington University as its first investment officer for the university endowment. During her three years there, she improved endowment investment performance from the 58th percentile to the 11th percentile. In 2003, she joined the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (NRRIT) as its third employee, and was eventually promoted to Chief Executive Office and Chief Investment Officer as she helped to transform it into a $30 billion organization supporting benefits for over 500,000 retired railroad employees and their survivors.

In addition to always leaving organizations in better shape than when she joined them, Catherine never lost sight of the importance of ensuring that institutional investment served the people and organizations that depended on it. Both as an investment officer and in later Board service, Catherine was committed to protecting the savings of the millions of teachers, railway workers, municipal employees, and others who had entrusted their life savings to pension and retirement funds.

After leaving NRRIT in 2016, Catherine focused on board service, drawing upon her expertise in governance and risk management. From 2014 until her death, she served as Chair of the Investment Advisory Committee for the New York State Common Retirement Fund. She was also an independent director for the BlackRock Fixed Income Mutual Funds Board, where, at the time of her death, she was Chair of the Audit Committee as well as chair for the committees on securities lending and closed-end fund discounts. In 2022, she was also appointed to the Board of Trustees of PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust and served as Chair of the Audit Committee, contributing to the oversight of this publicly traded real estate investment trust.

Catherine served on numerous nonprofit boards and governmental commissions including the Arlington (VA) Economic Development Commission; the CFA Society of Washington Advisory Board; the American Association of University Women Investment Committee; and, in New York City, the Community Food Resource Center and the HIV Law Project. In addition to her volunteer and board work, she supported many civic and charitable organizations.

Catherine was preceded in death by her father, Patrick J. Lynch and is survived by her wife and partner of 26 years, Robyn B. Garnett; her mother, Grace Louise Rose Lynch; her brothers, Christopher Lynch and Timothy Lynch (Ashley); niece Alexis Lynch and nephew Chase Lynch; former sister-in-law Kelly Lynch; and Robyn's parents and Catherine's dear friends, Marlene and Robert Garnett.

Catherine and Robyn joined Temple Micah in 2004, where they have been active members. A funeral service will be held there on March 29.