Catherine Lynch. Courtesy of her family
Catherine Lynch of Berkeley passed away after a brief illness on Oct. 19. She had the good fortune to end her life in the home where she’d lived for more than 25 years, with her family close by, near the garden she cherished, and at peace.
Catherine (born Catherine Christina Ten Broeck but quickly dubbed “Ceci” by her older sister) was born in Gloversville, New York, on Nov. 11, 1936. She grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and was a graduate of Technical High School in Springfield. She met her future husband, Charles Lynch, in high school and after she graduated from Jackson College in 1959, Ceci and Charles moved west to Berkeley. Ceci filled a number of different roles throughout her life. Mother, teacher, friend, sibling and grandmother are the ones that come foremost to mind as those that defined the things she enjoyed most in her life.
Ceci was an elementary school teacher in the Berkeley Unified School District for 30 years. She began her career at what was Franklin Elementary School (now the temporary campus for Longfellow Middle School) and then moved on to Malcolm X. She and her colleague Arden Clute managed the wildly popular Gilbert and Sullivan Troupe, where they engaged their fifth and sixth grade students around the performance of a different operetta each year. They not only performed in Berkeley, but also developed exchanges and traveled to schools in Hawaii, Oregon, Northern California and in Native American communities in the southwest to put on their show. For 27 years, the Gilbert and Sullivan Troupe was very successful and provided an introduction to the arts for more than a thousand Berkeley students. In addition, she was awarded two separate Fulbright Awards to participate in an international teacher exchange program. She spent one year teaching in Canada and another one in England.
After retiring in 1996, Ceci engaged herself in traveling, cross country skiing, hiking, the arts, gardening, friends and family. Although she and Charles divorced in 1980, they eventually became good friends who connected over similar interests and shared family. Ceci’s best and probably favorite role in her life, however, was as a grandparent. All seven of her grandchildren were the objects of her passion as a doting grandmother. Ceci had a youthful air to her, and that trait was something that children (whether they were her students, her children or her grandchildren) could sense and connect with in a way that did not happen with many other adults. Similar to young people, Ceci had the capacity to deeply enjoy what was happening in the moment, and revel in it. It was a truly infectious and endearing trait that drew children to her.
Ceci lived a long and, for the most part, happy life. Although she faced and overcame significant challenges in her life, she always appreciated the great fortune she had in her family, career and relationships. She is survived by her three children, Timothy Lynch of Santa Barbara, Erin Lynch of Fairfax, and Kevin Lynch of Berkeley; sisters Margaret Sabin of Mashpee, Massachusetts, and Elsa TenBroeck of Benicia, California; seven grandchildren (Josh, Alicia, Athena, Arlo, Edward, Michael and Daniel); and four nieces (Betsy Goldrick, Sharon Sabin, Christina Booth and Erin Jones).
Services are pending. Please email Kevin at papiman@sbcglobal.net if you would like to share memories of Catherine Lynch, and/or to ask for details about the event the family will host to commemorate her life.
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