Judith Ann Lynch

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Judith Ann Lynch, 78, on Saturday, October 12, 2024, after a decades-long battle with multiple myeloma.

Judith was born on September 8, 1946, in Weed, California, the eldest of four children born to Gordon and Colleen Nelson. As a Navy brat, she was raised in the Philippines, Taiwan, and California. She found her happiest home, however, in Florence, Oregon, where she lived for the past 28 years with her husband, David.

Judith loved words: reading words, speaking words, thinking about words, and reading "The Word." She graduated from California State University, Hayward, with a B.A. in Drama. She was a voracious and avid reader-and wanted you to be one too. She started reading to her children before they were born. She prioritized reading over physical education when she taught her favorite age group-the beloved fifth graders at Victory Christian Academy. She would correct your grammar. Judith. Lynch. Loved. Words.

She also had an eye for aesthetics. Judith lovingly decorated eight homes over the course of her life, creating warm, welcoming, beautiful spaces where she could love and feed her family and friends. She loved to shop and always had her eyes open for the perfect antique, special teapot, or other finishing touch.

At the tender age of 42, she became an empty nester and wasted no time encouraging her husband to buy an RV so they could travel all over North America. Their travels took them to Canada, virtually every one of the 50 states, and to Mexico. Along the way, Judith found time to go to graduate school to earn a California teaching credential, to become an expert quilter, and to practice her Christian faith.

Judith was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in her early fifties and lived with the disease for over two decades. Her faith was put to the test, and she epitomized humility, patience, bravery, as well as a fantastic sense of humor while serving as a living textbook on the virtue of hope.

Judith was preceded in death by her sister, Candi, and her son, Ryan. She is survived by her beloved husband David Lynch; her daughter Hayden Laura (George) Best of Alexandria, Virginia; and her two brothers AJ and David Nelson as well as many nieces and nephews who will never forget the love she brought to their lives.

Judith's life will be celebrated on October 24, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., at Cross Road Assembly of God in Florence, Oregon. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that any memorial remembrances be made in her name to the Rhododendron Quilt Guild of Florence, Oregon.