December 30, 2022
REST IN PEACE
Thomas P. Lynch, of Wayland, MA, passed away on December 30, 2022, while in hospice care in Concord, MA. He was 84 years old. Born in Rochester, NY, where the Lynch family has a long history, Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Grimes Lynch and Thomas Charles Lynch; and his brothers, Don Lynch and Richard Lynch. He is survived by his wife, Lessie E. Farrell; his three children, Sr. Regina Lynch, Thomas P. Lynch, Jr. (Jennifer), and Todd Lynch; his two sisters, Mary Paiz, and Marge Mercury; and three grandchildren. Ordained as a Catholic priest, Tom briefly worked as a pastor in a rural community in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he immersed himself in the culture and became fluent in Spanish. In 1968, Tom decided to pursue a secular life, although continued to be called to serve his community. After raising his family in New York City, he eventually found a home in Boston, where he was the coordinator of the ESAC senior home repair program. Upon retirement in 2016, Tom's work was officially recognized by the Boston City Council. Tom, an avid cyclist and outdoorsman, also had a passion for folk and contra dancing, and his gift for storytelling won him many friends among the Massachusetts folk dancing scene in the 1980s. He met his wife, Lessie, at a dance in Concord.