Luther Bryan "Lu" Lynch Jr.

Luther B. "Lu" Lynch, 86 of Grants Pass died February 23, 2011 at his home. No services are planned, private Interment at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Grants Pass Lynch was born July 5, 1924 in Fresno, California. The great depression caused his family to move many times during the 30's and he thus attended 15 different grade schools in California, Washington and Oregon. His family finally settled in Parkdale, Oregon where Lynch started and graduated high school. While attending college he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in October 1942, in officer candidate program called V-12 and was later sent for "Cadet type" schooling and training to College of the pacific (Now Pacific University) in Stockton, California. In 1943 he played football for Pacific's 80-year-old coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg, who was voted coach of the year over Notre Dame's Frank Leahy. Following that football season, Lynch was sent to O.C.S at Quantico, Virginia, graduated as a Marine Corps 2nd Lieutenant and was assigned to Amphibious tanks and tractors at Oceanside, California, where his group was responsible for several vehicle modifications and improvements while training for Iwo Jima and the invasion of Japan. He was not sent over seas. He was discharged in May 1946 and that September returned to Oregon State College under the GI Bill. On September 6, 1947 he married Genevieve (Jean) Clarno in Myrtle Point, Oregon. In June 1948 he graduated with a degree in Business & Technology and immediately went to work for Crown-Zellerbach Corporation (the old paper and wood products co.) at Lebanon, Oregon. After 7 west coast promotion/transfers and 32 years of service, he took early retirement from Crown-Zellerbachs corporate headquarters in San Francisco and moved to Grants Pass mid 1980's. He enjoyed reading, cards and other games, fishing, hunting, and at appropriate times in life participated in most sports. He had a life long love affair with golf and had been a member of the Grants Pass Golf Club since 1980. In addition to his wife survivors include daughter Teresa Houghton of Grants Pass; son Patrick Lynch of Carmel, California; son Timothy Lynch of Sebastopol, California; seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Brother Robert Lynch of La Grande, Oregon; sister Irene Teach of King City, Oregon and brother Herbert Lynch of Ninneka, Oklahoma also survives.

Interment Details

Hillcrest Memorial Park