Daniel & Dolores Lynch
Dr. Daniel Lynch, a retired College of Education and Human Services professor, and his wife, Dolores, lost a son and daughter to cancer in 2009 and another son to cancer in 2016. To honor their children’s memory, they established a scholarship for future educators, counselors, and human service students.
Shawn Daniel Lynch was born in 1963 in Ripon, WI. At a young age, Shawn was diagnosed with a cerebral palsy related condition, but that didn’t stop him from being a gentle and friendly person. In the 1980s, he earned associate degrees in data processing and marketing. Shawn loved the outdoors, fishing, roller coasters, going to model railroad shows, and traveling with his wife, Susan. Shawn held jobs in data processing up until 2001, when he and his wife moved to Madison. At that point, he began to work at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. In 2009, Shawn was diagnosed with a slow growing cancer. In 2016, Shawn was further diagnosed with a rapidly growing bone cancer. He died on September 18th, 2016. He was very much loved by his wife, family, friends, and coworkers.
Gregory Lynch was born in 1965 at UW Hospital in Madison. When he was about 18 months old, he was diagnosed with benign familial chorea, a muscle control condition that gradually improved as he grew up. Despite his condition, Greg was almost always cheerful. He worked hard to show what he could do in all areas. He graduated from Oshkosh West High School in 1983. He took courses from UW Oshkosh and Oshkosh Technical College, graduating from the technical college with an associate degree in hospitality management in 1986. He worked in several restaurants before accepting a position at Woodman’s in Appleton. He loved working there for the seventeen years before he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He held several records for outstanding job performance. Woodman’s was very good to, and for, Greg. He developed lung cancer despite not being a smoker. Secondhand smoke he was exposed to while doing Karaoke in bars, is believed to have triggered his lung cancer. In addition to his love of singing, Greg enjoyed playing card games, including sheepshead and cribbage.
Laura (Lynch) Hinze was born in 1968, on the day her father started teaching at UW Oshkosh. She was a very social child (grade school chatterbox) and adult. She was tremendously independent. She loved life. She was very creative in her art and drama classes. She graduated from Oshkosh West High School in 1986. She graduated from UW Oshkosh in 1989, the same year she married her husband, Roger. In the 1990s, they moved to Los Angeles so that Roger could continue his career in the film industry. Laura loved living in Los Angeles. She obtained a master’s degree in library science from San Jose State University. She busied herself raising her children and working as a part-time librarian. Laura did a lot of volunteering at her children’s schools. She organized libraries, ran book fairs, worked with children and served as president of the Parent-Teacher Association. She was diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma multiforme in July 2004. Her cancer was treated aggressively at City of Hope Hospital. She survived five years and one month from diagnosis, becoming one of the few that made it five years with this type of cancer.
Dr. Lynch passed away in October 2018 and Dolores in November 2017.