Obituary for Jeanne Lynch Pitt Jeanne Lynch Pitt, 91, passed away December 14, 2018, as she lived her life, courageous and fiercely independent. Jeanne Norton Lynch was born in Louisville on November 11, 1927, the elder of two children (Jeanne and Theodore) to the late Richard and Eleanor Lynch. Jeanne attended Atherton High School and Nazareth College.
Unfortunately, both because of economic limitations and lack of opportunities for women at the time, Jeanne was not able to fulfil her dream of attending medical school. After World War II, Jeanne met the love of her life, the dashing Joseph Pitt from the H. McKenna Distillery family of Nelson County. Joe had just returned from his WW2 tour in the South Pacific with the US Marine Corps.
Jeanne and Joe were married on “tax day” – April 15th in 1950, after Joe had re-enlisted in the Marine Corps. Joe was her loving and supportive husband for 44 years until he passed away in 1994. In the early 1960’s, Jeanne went back to school to earn a Master’s degree from Spalding College and embarked on what truly became her life-long passion … teaching.
At a time when few women chose the sciences, Jeanne Pitt dedicated herself to teaching high school Biology and Chemistry, starting at Mercy Academy in Louisville, and continuing in the Jefferson County Public School system, where she taught for more than 30 years. There she inspired many young lives, first at Shawnee High School in the mid 1960’s, and thereafter at Iroquois High School, and later at Louisville Male High School, until she retired in 1994. Jeanne was preceded in death also by her beloved younger brother, Theodore N. Lynch, M.D., of Louisville.
As close as siblings could be, Jeanne often recounted about her brother, “When Mother brought the baby (“Ted”) home from the hospital, she told me, ‘This is your baby. ’ I took her at her word and looked after him for the rest of his life”. Until the last few years when Jeanne struggled with dementia, she led an independent and incredibly active life.
She especially loved her dogs. She loved playing bridge with her friends and online with partners around the globe. She was an avid knitter and her wardrobe included many beautiful sweaters she had made.
And in classic Jeanne Pitt style, after the death of her husband, Jeanne decided to become fluent in French, spending weeks at a time in Provence, France, and in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, participating in French immersion classes through the International Roads Scholar Program. As Jeanne’s older son has commented, “I knew Mom before she became French”. Throughout her entire life, Jeanne had an insatiable desire to be involved in everything and to experience everything.
She is survived by her two sons, Michael Pitt and James Pitt (both of Louisville), plus her former daughter-in-law, Sue Dodds Pitt (Louisville), her granddaughters, Eleanor Pitt Wilson, M.D. (Brice) of Catonsville, MD, and Marcella Pitt Kragel (Douglas) of Louisville, five great-grandchildren (Nori, McKenna, Henry, Charlotte and Maxwell), as well as her nephews, Richard Lynch (San Francisco) and John Lynch (Reno, NV). The family will celebrate Jeanne’s life and memory in private gatherings. The family appreciates all condolences but declines flowers and requests any donations be made in Jeanne’s name to the Louisville Youth Philanthropy Council, through the Community Foundation of Louisville.
Jeanne was especially fond of her whiskey sours and of her husband’s bourbon heritage. So please toast her full and rewarding life with a drink made with Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, 10 year, 100 proof. Jeanne would be delighted.
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