Lynch, Lawrence A. LATHAM Lawrence A. "Bud" Lynch, age 91, passed peacefully into eternal life at his home in Latham, surrounded by his family, on June 4, 2019. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Mary Edna Lynch. Bud was born on April 25, 1928, to Eva and Arthur Lawrence Lynch in Burlington, Vt. He attended preschool at Summer School Camps and grammar school at Cathedral Grammar School. When Bud was 12, his father passed away. His father had arranged for his good friend Lawrence Barrett to take care of his family and they moved to Watervliet. It was there that he met his future wife Edna as they both attended St. Bridget's school and church. Bud went to La Salle High School where he was a running back and also a defensive linebacker for the football team and was known for his running speed. At age 17, he enlisted in the Navy. He served aboard the USS Rowan from May of 1945 to August of 1946, earning the American Victory and Asiatic Pacific Theatre medals. He returned to Watervliet after his honorable discharge with his $100 out-pay, finished his high school education and took a short-lived job with Tilly Ladder, followed by a position with Adirondack Steel in the chemical and physical labs department, and American Meter Company. Bud eventually went to work for the New York Telephone Company, where he worked as a linesman/installer until retirement in 1990. He once reminisced that he had probably worked in most of the homes in the Watervliet, Troy and Latham area, and it certainly seemed like everyone knew dad. He was forever running into people who remembered him and after politely conversing with them he would later ask "Who was that again?" He and Edna married in 1953 and raised six children initially in Watervliet, later moving to Latham where he lived until his death. After retirement, Bud and Edna bought Marino's Market on Third Avenue in Watervliet. Through their business, they gave back to their community by delivering groceries to those were unable to get out and do their own shopping. Bud loved his family. He spent every free moment with his wife and children, whether he was helping with school projects, driving them to swim practice or band practice, taking them on picnics in the summer or ice skating on Ann Lee pond or the R.P.I. fieldhouse in the winter. He was a wonderful roller skater/dancer and enjoyed endless hours of play with his children. He went to all of the recitals and swim shows and swim meets and was even a treasurer of the Colonie Aquatic Swim Team board to support his children's activities. He later repeated all of that with his grandchildren. He also was a lifetime athlete - he took up sailing in his mid fifties, skiing around age 60 and golf at 80 - forever an active person. He was a role model for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, showing by example how to live life with love, respect and dignity. The Lynch family extends a heartfelt and sincere thank you to The Community Hospice who provided comforting assistance for dad and his family at the end of his life. We would also like to thank Shatoya Brown and Jennifer De Jesus for taking such loving care of Bud and making him smile. Thank you to Dr. Lance Sullenberger for his compassionate and dedicated care, and to Leo and the Hometown Pharmacy for their support. Bud was preceded in death by his wife Edna. He is survived by his six children, Colleen Lynch Sweetsir and her husband Steven, Christine Lynch Dowd and her husband Jeff, Maureen Lynch Newell and her husband Steve, Pauline Lynch Nasca and her husband Jack, Larry Lynch, and Thomas Lynch and wife Nicole. He also has 16 grandchildren, Dale Sweetsir (Trinh Phan), Mark Sweetsir, Erin Sweetsir (Brad Mills) and Seth Sweetsir; Jeff Dowd (Kimberly), Jamie Dowd Wolford (Adam), and Deanna Dowd Franklin (Dan); Katelyn Newell and Dustin Newell; Alyssa Nasca, Brian Nasca and Nicholas Nasca; Sierra Lynch, Wyatt Lynch and Cheyanne Lynch; Cassidy Lynch; and nine great-grandchildren, Novalee, Charlotte and Jack Mills, Sydney and Jeffrey Dowd Jr, Liam and Louis Franklin, and Chloe and Zoe Sweetsir. Bud is also survived by his very good friends, Donna and Ed Pfeiffer, Margaret Curtain, Pat Markowitz and Art, Alice Bosselman and Ruth Bouchy who are beloved extended members of our family. He is also survived by his brother Patrick and many nieces and nephews from his Vermont family. A funeral Mass will be celebrated by the Reverend Geoffrey D. Burke on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Assumption Church, 498 Watervliet Shaker Road, Latham. The Rite of Committal and interment will follow in St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands. Friends are invited to attend and may also visit with family at the Bowen and Parker Bros. Funeral Home, 97 Old Loudon Road, Latham 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday.
Published by Albany Times Union from Jun. 5 to Jun. 6, 2019.
