Obituary of Helen M. Lynch

Helen M. Lynch, 90, formerly of New Britain, died Tuesday at Saint Mary Home in West Hartford, after a brief illness. Born in New Britain, the daughter of the late Frank T. and Lillian Stadler Lynch, Helen lived most of her life in her family home at 163 Pendleton Road in the Belvedere section of the city. Since December 1998, Helen has lived at The McAuley Residence, an independent-living facility at 275 Steele Road in West Hartford. She attended local schools and graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in West Hartford. She received her Bachelors in Business Administration and Minor in Economics from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford in 1941, later earning a Masters in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Masters in Guidance and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from the University of Hartford. Miss Lynch began her teaching career at the Moody Secretarial School in New Britain for one year, in the Business Department of Berlin High School for eight years and in the Business Department of the Hartford Public High School for 29 years, where she also served as the Department Chairperson. She was named "Teacher of the Year" in 1970 by the Hartford Chapter of the Administrative Management Society. Following retirement from Hartford Public High School, Miss Lynch taught for one year at E. C. Goodwin Technical School in New Britain and then spent five years as an administrative assistant at the Connecticut Radio Information Service (CRIS) in Hartford. She was a life member of several professional associations, including the Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut, the National Education Association (NEA) and the Connecticut Business Education Association. In addition, she belonged to the Saint Joseph College Alumnae Association,; the Woman's Club of New Britain, the New Britain Council of Catholic Women, the Guild of St. Agnes, the Auxiliaries of the New Britain General Hospital, Mercyknoll, the New Britain Chapter of A.A.R.P., the Braille Association -Large Type Division in West Hartford, and the Hospital for Special Care, where she also did volunteer work. Miss Lynch was a long-time member of Saint Francis of Assisi Church in New Britain and its Ladies Guild. She also served the church as a Eucharistic Minister and Lector. During her life Miss Lynch was a benefactor to numerous charitable organizations throughout the area. She had particular interest in Saint Joseph College, where she started the Frank T. Lynch Family Scholarship Fund. In 1996 the college recognized her generosity by naming the newly renovated lobby to McDonough Hall, the Lynch Family Lobby. In 2001, the college dedicated Lynch Hall, a building that houses classrooms and faculty offices. She is survived by several cousins, including Joan Stadler Abbott of Ocala, Florida, formerly of Newington, and William E. Blankenburg of South Windsor, and many good friends. The Farrell Funeral Home of New Britain has charge of arrangements. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saint Joseph College Chapel on Friday, September 25 at 11 a.m. She will be buried in a private ceremony at Saint Mary Cemetery in New Britain. There will be no calling hours. Donations in her memory may be made to the Saint Joseph College Development Fund, West Hartford, or a charity of the donor's choice.