Obituary of Barbara H. Lynn

Barbara H. Lynn November 14, 1949 – April 29, 2022 Was she Elsa Maxwell? Perle Mesta? Susan Mary Alsop? No. Barbara Holman Lynn was none of these famous international party throwers from the last century. Barbara Holman Lynn, 72, who passed away suddenly on Friday, April 29, 2022, in Scranton, Pa., while she was attending a convention of The Daughters of the American Revolution, loved to throw parties. There didn’t need to be a reason, either. She’d imagine a theme and off she went with her needle and thread and patterns and would design costumes for the party she envisioned. If you didn’t have your own, she had a costume for you. Joseph Wilson, Barbara’s neighbor on Seville Street in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia where Barbara lived with her husband, the Honorable James Murray Lynn, said: “It seemed whenever I was with Barbara, she was putting some sort of hat on my head”. At an event, Barbara would organize a New Orleans Second Line parade around the dance floor or outside on the street. She would have a suitcase full of boas and umbrellas. During Covid, Barbara organized a patriotic tribute to all First Responders. For about 6 weeks from April to Memorial Day, neighbors came outside on Sundays at 4:00 PM and sang patriotic songs. This culminated with a parade up Seville Street with “God Bless the USA” blaring from huge speakers bringing out the rest of the neighborhood in recognition of our Heroes. Barbara was disabled and was permanently bound to her wheel chair. She suffered in constant pain from Multiple Sclerosis and two broken hips from falls. She could not walk at all. She would try to stand and could for only a minute or two while holding on to something or someone. She was never defeated. After her last failed hip operation, she told her husband: “I don’t have dementia, I’m not blind. And I don’t have cancer. I will get through this.” Judge Lynn remarked that “Barbara was the toughest and most independent person I knew”. Barbara became a persuasive advocate for people with disabilities. The Roxborough Y announced on Facebook that Barbara “…was instrumental in upgrading our Y to be more accessible for other members with disabilities and always put people first. Barbara did the same with The Museum of the American Revolution and, even, The Rothman Orthopedic offices in Center City. In June, she was to take a Water Aerobics Cruise to Iceland and Scotland where she was to be the Disability Consultant for the cruise line. Her charity was unbounded. She would help anyone and everyone she could. Unable to drive, she took the bus everywhere. She was known by the bus drivers as “Barbara of Seville”. An elderly man she met on the bus, had never been to New Orleans. She invited him to Mardi Gras, put him in a hotel and took him in with her family. Barbara is survived by her husband, The Honorable James Murray Lynn; her children Laura Latino (Sam) and Craig Adams (Nathalie); stepdaughter Grainne Lynn; and six grandchildren Raegan, Conner, Katherine, Clark, Zara and Sia. She is also survived by her sister Betty Landino and many nieces, nephews and friends. Barbara grew up in Manchester, CT and graduated with honors from Manchester High School and William Smith College. She received her Masters Degree in English from The State University of New York, Courtland where she completed the course work for the Ph.D. She was honored to be a Daughter of the American Revolution and had an allegiance to her family and the Military, especially the United States Marine Corps. Swimming, sewing, traveling and bringing people together brought her much joy. She was preceded in death by her parents Robert Holman and the late Mary Holman; brother, Raymond Holman, a Marine who was Killed In Action in Vietnam; and sister, Joyce Smith. Family and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 819 Cathedral Road , Philadelphia, PA 19128 on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 11:00 am with Visitation before the Mass on Tuesday from 9:00 - 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Barbara Lynn be made to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship Program or The Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation.