Erva Lynch

BIOGRAPHY

Lynch was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, USA, on 8 June 1905. She was the only child born to parents William Francis LaMere (1883–1944) and Mabel MacLean. Her mother died during childbirth when Lynch was one and a half years old. Upon her mother’s passing, she went to live with her mother’s friends. She resided on a farm for a while and later in a home in Fall River. Her father placed her with a host family while he was working, and this arrangement continued until she was 12 years old. Her father eventually remarried, and the family lived in Saugus. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, Lynch, then a teenager, wore a bag of camphor around her neck as she delivered medicine to people infected with the flu. After graduating from Saugus High in 1923, she attended Burdette College in Lynn, studying business for one year. Before getting married, she worked as a telephone switchboard operator for New England Phone. She then worked for an answering service, serving doctors and lawyers as clients.

On 30 August 1935, she married Arthur Francis Lynch (1896–1967). Her husband was a World War I Navy veteran. The couple had three children: Arthur Francis (1936–1989), Robert Dennis (1938–1992), and Carol (married Robertson). The family made their home in Saugus, Massachusetts. At one point, she worked with Almy’s Department Store in Revere, Massachusetts.

In 1977, at the age of 72, she moved in with her daughter and son-in-law to Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The three of them lived there together until they relocated to Summerfield, Florida when she was 101 years old. Throughout her life, she received letters from Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, as well as from Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. She knitted about 17 under-helmet caps that were sent to U.S. soldiers in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. At the age of 100, she experienced some difficulty walking, but she continued to exercise daily on a Cardio Glide machine. She never saw a doctor, except for childbirth, until she was 70. However, at the age of 106, she experienced heart complications and underwent a procedure to have two stents placed.

For her 107th birthday, Lynch was featured on the “Today” show during a Smucker’s birthday salute She celebrated her 110th birthday at the Spruce Creek South Community Center in Summerfield. On her birthday, she received a poster featuring congratulations from the governor and the Senate of Massachusetts. Her daughter attributed her mother’s longevity to a lifestyle of clean living and a positive attitude, adding that she never drank, smoked, or sat in the sun because she didn’t want freckles. At the time, according to her daughter, she still had at least 20/30, perhaps even 20/20 vision. She used reading glasses for small print and a walker for balance.

Lynch passed away of congestive heart failure in Summerfield, Florida, USA, on 12 July 2015, at the age of 110 years, 34 days. She was survived by her daughter and son-in-law, 14 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.