Dr. Richard Vance Lynch III

On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Dr. Richard Vance Lynch III, son of the late Dr. Richard Vance Lynch, Jr. and Mary Horner Lynch, passed away at age 82. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Shelley Post Gardner, and granddaughter, Evie Lynch.

At the young age of 8 years, he acted as navigator for his mother, the first female pilot in West Virginia. His adventurous side also manifested in his dedication to the Boy Scouts, earning the Eagle Scout Award. He graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1968.

Richard graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Physics in 1966. He went on to obtain his Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh in Biophysics in 1971. He conducted post-doctoral work in bioluminescence at Tokyo University in Japan. His nearly illegible and tiny handwriting surprisingly lent itself to Kanji, and everyone who read his written work in Japan raved about it!

He used his knowledge of 12 languages and his Top Secret clearance to work for the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC and later the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Stennis, MS, researching bioluminescent organisms. His most notable work dealt with missile defense systems and antisubmarine warfare. He published over 37 articles in scientific journals, and a movie was made about his work in bioluminescence, which aired in New York City. After moving to California, he began working at Lockheed Martin. There, he also obtained an additional Master of Science in Biotechnology.

One of the favorite family stories was of his relationship with the aboriginal people of New Guinea. During his research for the government, he made 3 trips to New Guinea where he made friends with the aboriginal people. To his surprise, he met them again in Japan in 1973, when they were performing at a local mall. When they recognized him, they stopped the performance to hug him and lead him away to talk.

An avid Patron of the arts, his most beloved opera was the 1975 production of The Magic Flute by Ingmar Bergman. He always felt that the way they captured the pure joy on the girl's face as she first experienced the opera mirrored his same first joy of discovering the theatre as a small boy.

He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, David & Susanne Lynch, his first wife, Mary Katherine & Gene Bellisario, his daughter Anne Lynch, his son and daughter-in-law, Vance & Suzanne Lynch, and his two grandchildren, Van & Katie.

E. J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 W. 21st Avenue, Covington, LA has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please sign the online guestbook at https://www.ejfieldingfh.com.