William D. Lynch – Colonel, United States Army

From a contemporary press report: December 1997:

William D. Lynch, 77, an Army colonel who retired in 1968 as a liaison officer between the Army and Congress, died December 16, 1997 at the Potomac Center in Arlington County after a stroke.

Colonel Lynch was born in Cincinnati and began his military career in a horse cavalry unit before World War II. During the war, he served in the Southwest Pacific and later in Germany and Korea. He graduated from the Army’s Command and Staff College and the Navy War College. He attended Northwestern and George Washington universities.

On his military retirement, he settled in the Washington area and became a stock broker with Dean Witter Reynolds. In 1986, he retired from that job to accompany his wife, Patricia Gates Lynch, to her post as ambassador to Madagascar.

They returned in 1989 and lived in Scientists Cliffs, Md.

His first wife, Jean Donelan Lynch, died in 1977.

In addition to his wife, survivors include two children from his first marriage, William D. Lynch of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and Katherine DeCrescenzo of Massillon, Ohio; two stepchildren, Pamela Gates Sprague of Denver and Lawrence A. Gates of Severna Park; a brother; six grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

LYNCH, WILLIAM D., COL. USA (Ret.)

Died of complications following a stroke on December 16, 1997 at the Potomac Center in Arlington, VA. Survivors include his wife, Ambassador Patricia Gates Lynch of Scientists Cliff, Port Republic, MD and Washington, DC; two children from his first marriage, William D. Lynch of Dobbs Ferry, NY and Katherine DeCrescenzo of Massillon, OH; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild; a brother, Joseph Lynch of Laguna Niguel, CA; two stepchildren, Pamela Gates Sprague of Denver, CO, Lawrence A. Gates of Severna Park, MD and two step-granddaughters. Services will be held in the Fort Myer Chapel at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 1998 followed by burial in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the the American Chestnut Land Trust, PO Box 204, Port Republic, MD 20676. Tel. 410-586-1570.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard