John Patrick Lynch

Carried on the snow-white wings of an angel band, John Patrick Lynch returned to his immortal home on September 19. He was a man who lived moments of extraordinary in the ordinary.

John was born in Cardiff, Wales and was blessed with the celtic gift of story-telling. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere and he did so with everyone, everywhere, finding great joy sitting on a park bench and exchanging tales with a stranger who quickly became a friend.

He grew up in Sudbury. The bold wildness of northern Ontario fed his sense of adventure that as a boy gave him a very brief moment of flight off a cliff in a homemade airplane, as a young man took him across Canada on a bicycle, and as an adult brought him up to the Arctic as a prospector, before the greatest adventure of all - finding love with Sandy and raising a family.

John and his family settled in the village of Combermere where he nurtured a faith inspired by the message of Catherine Doherty and Madonna House. He and Sandy chose to raise their family poor in material things, but rich in love and wonder.

John had the hands of a craftsman, bringing an artist’s touch to wooden toys and furniture, and custom carpentry.

He had an inquisitive mind, always keen to know how things worked, including his children’s Fisher-Price toys that were never quite the same after he’d taken them apart and poked at their inner workings. As a teacher, he shared this sense of curiosity with his students at Madawaska Valley District High School.

He was a scholar, surrounding himself with books on every subject. In his retirement, he and Sandy finally fulfilled their lifelong dream of opening Pilgrim Reader bookstore, and through it he shared his love of the written word with fellow readers around the world.

He was a servant to his community as a volunteer firefighter, bell ringer, board member, and friend.

John was a proud father of five daughters - Rachel, Kathryn (Katie), Hannah, Brigid, and Elizabeth. “Blessed am I among women,” he used to say. It brought him great joy and peace to watch his daughters grow into strong, courageous, generous women, who brought Hiro, Hana, Kazuo, Hadayt, Sara, and Olivier into the family.

He was a dreamer, who relished in flights of whimsy and he had the heart of a poet. In his own words:

He often sat there.
In the morning with a cup of tea,
at noon with a glass of wine,
at the end of the day with some Scotch and his pipe.

A man of habits, small and rather common.
Both the man and his habits.

Rituals mark the passage of his life,
filling the passing with thoughts
made great by the passing of them.

He was loved.

In memory of John, please consider a donation to Madawaska Valley Hospice, for whose care we are ever grateful.