Lynn Skynear

SKYNEAR

LYNN SKYNEAR (Age 76)

Lynn Skynear, loving wife of Moustafa Soliman, adoring mother of Omar Soliman, founder and CEO of the national company College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, loving mother-in-law of Stacy Kramer and the adorable grandchildren Chase and Skylar Soliman, passed away on October 14, 2022, while under cancer treatment in Tampa, Florida.



She was the founder of Skynear & Co., Inc. that was one of the first cutting edge home furnishings and design stores in Washington, DC., in locations such as Adams Morgan, the Mazza Gallery and Foxhall Square. From 1988 until 2016, Skynear & Co. evolved into an important hub for artists and artisans and featured hundreds of DC, regional and international artists. During nearly 30 years in business, Lynn was the President of Adams Morgan Retail Association, a Board Member of the Business Improvement District (BID) and a recipient of the Chamber of Commerce National Endowment Award for Greater D.C. In 2013, Skynear & Co. was selected as one of the "Top Twelve Art Places in America" by a consortium of national foundations and the National Endowment of the Arts.



Lynn was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she met and fell in love with her husband Moustafa in Santa Monica over fifty years ago. She went to Birmingham Public High School in the San Fernando Valley. Her classmates were all part of the first baby boomer generation and included names such as actress Sally Field, Mike Milken (aka junk bond king), Mike Ovitz, former Disney President, and many others.



She joined the US Air Force (USAF) in 1964 until 1968. She was the first female Air Operations Specialist since WWII, stationed in Ramstein AFB, Germany. Following her USAF career, she lived and worked in Sidney, Australia before becoming a United Press International (UPI) accredited correspondent in Vietnam in 1971. There and during the height of the war, she covered a range of stories from the rampant use of drugs by the US soldiers to the then ongoing effort of the Vietnamization of the country.



Upon returning to the U.S., she studied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Film Department, and obtained her bachelor degree in journalism from George Washington University. She had several positions/assignments over the years, as a TV reporter and weekend anchor for ABC owned and operated station (WXYZ) in Detroit, Director of Public Relations for the Cambodia Crisis Center where she spearheaded their media relations and fund-raising campaigns, and as a freelance journalist for a number of magazines and newspapers such as the Christian Science Monitor, the Journal of Commerce, Lady's Home Journal, the Washington Post and others covering a variety of topics ranging from the Middle East to local issues. She met and interviewed heads of states from Shimon Peres of Israel to Anwar Sadat of Egypt.



Lynn was a sparkle in the lives of many of her relatives, friends and colleagues. She was a vibrant and shining light with her radiant smile, energy and warmth. The world has lost a truly wonderful human being who will be greatly missed.



A memorial celebrating Lynn's life will be planned for family and close friends at a later date.



In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to St Jude Children's Research Hospital and/or Egypt Cancer Network USA.