Frances Lynch
Frances Lynch, a well-known and much-loved member of the Shepherdstown community, recently fell while out walking and died from serious head injuries.
Several local residents had, only a few months ago, helped her relocate and settle into an assisted living facility in Paradise, Md. on the eastern shore. The hope had been that she would enjoy her final years in a secure place, where she could pursue her interests in literature and nature.
Frances was drawn to Shepherdstown from Boonsboro, Md. by Shepherd University’s Lifelong Learning program and, in particular, the Cafe Society discussions on Tuesday mornings, which she attended regularly; Trinity Episcopal Church; and the Shepherdstown Public Library, which was of great assistance in connecting her to the outside world, when needed. She was well known by the staff at the Shepherdstown post office and Jefferson Security Bank, who quickly adapted to her eccentricities.
Frances was an intense person and not casual about any aspect of her unique lifestyle. At the age of 82, she was still physically active and engaged in pursuit of her highly selective, but deep interests. She lived in an austere room on a horse farm several miles outside of town. Although she had a car, she preferred to walk, cutting across the fields in good weather and even hitchhiking on Flowing Springs Road in bad weather. Her bragging rights included that she had walked 46 miles in one day on the Appalachian Trail.
For several years, she participated in and met the goals of the library’s “Read Your Age” program, in which participants match their years to the number of books they read in a year. For someone in her eighties, that proved to be quite an accomplishment.
Finding an acceptable assisted living facility for her was a challenge, because she insisted on being able to wander through the local environs, enjoying nature’s beauties. It is unfortunate, but somehow appropriate that she ended her life doing what she loved best.
In many ways, Frances was a victim of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Having developed a severe case of the coronavirus, miserable and alone, she concluded that she was dying and so systematically divested herself of all but the most essential material requirements of life. When she realized that she would go on living, she avoided any effort to recover what she had given up. During the final, monastic years of her life, she lived in a virtual cell, focusing entirely on her intellectual pursuits and the wonders of the natural world around her. The only book that she retained was her father’s personal Bible, tied together like a small package with a piece of string.
For those who were fortunate enough to really know Frances, it was a privilege that made them deeply contemplative about how they measured up.
Her legacy is still evolving, as those who knew and loved her struggle to fully understand the impact that she had on them and the greater Shepherdstown community.