Obituary for Thomas James Lynch Thomas James Lynch, age 85, passed away on 12/12/18. Tom was a resident of Gaylord, Michigan; Palm Coast, Florida; and former long-time resident of Royal Oak, Michigan. He was born on 12/12/33 in Royal Oak, Michigan and graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1951.
He then went on to St. Joseph College for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After his army service, he enrolled at the University of Detroit, where he earned a B.A. in Philosophy, which generally became apparent to anyone who chose to engage him in conversational debate. Tom worked as a police officer for the city of Huntington Woods for over 29 years, retiring in 1989 having achieved the rank of lieutenant.
He enjoyed almost 30 wonderful years of retirement, where he golfed, hunted, and fished as often as possible. He loved spending time in Northern Michigan, Florida, Colorado, and Ireland, with his wife Connie, of 48 years, before her passing in 2016. Never a day went by that they didn’t share love and laughter together.
Tom touched the lives of everyone he knew with his toughness, humor, and undeniable wit. Even in his last days, he always had an impish grin on his face, ready to crack a joke or charm a nurse. He overcame many, many difficult obstacles in his lifetime, some of which people thought he couldn’t.
Never once did we hear him complain about how hard it was. He is the strongest man we know, and never stopped fighting, not even for a second. But above all, Tom loved his family, something that he never led us to doubt, even in times of argument.
We are so grateful for all the wonderful memories we’ve made with him, and will miss him dearly. Family gatherings won’t quite be the same without his uncanny ability to light up the room as he strolls in, wearing aviators, a stolen sweatshirt, and a mouth full off brie. Among those missing him are his children, Sam (Karen), Sarah (John) Hassell, and Mac; his grandchildren, Nate, Erin, Katie, Maggie, Gracie, and Ellie; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.
His humor, grace, and wisdom will never be forgotten. For many of us, he was the coolest guy we ever met. Thank you Dad.
Thank you Grandpa. Thank you Uncle Tom. Thank you Tom.
For everything. There will be no services at this time, but rather a celebration of both Tom and Connie will take place in 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tom’s name to Royal Oak Youth Assistance (www.
royaloakyouthassistance.com/), Girls on the Run–Western Colorado (www. gotrwesterncolorado.org/), or Girls on the Run–Southeastern Michigan (www. girlsontherunsemi.org/).
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