Gillian had a bright mind and used her talents quietly
WHEN the late Gillian Lynch (nee Hynes) came to Bray as an infant in 1943, she lived first with her family in Raheen Park, on the slopes of Bray Head and later in Newcourt Road, and finally in Meath Road.
She attended the Loreto Convent School and afterwards the Loreto Secretarial College in North Great Georges Street.
After graduating, she worked as secretary to the CEO in Industrial Yarns, then in Irish Ropes and in the VHI in similar positions.
She became secretary to Dermot Ryan, a well-known businessman in the day, and there she first met Sean Lynch, soon to become her husband. Sean was a journalist and worked in the Irish Press and subsequently the Irish Independent. They married in 1971 in the Queen of Peace Church and their son Jonathan was born in 1974.
In 1980, Sean was afflicted by cancer and he died the following year leaving Gillian and a seven-year-old Jonathan bereft.
She set about raising Jonathan, maintaining a nurturing home and earning a living. All this she achieved without fuss and without any complaint. Her strength of character was her ‘rod’ and her stoicism her ‘staff ’. It would be fair to call Gillian a strong woman.
In 1985, Gillian joined St Gerard’s School as school and headmaster’s secretary and she served with distinction under four headmasters over the next 25 years.
Upon retirement in 2007, she became St Gerard’s archivist – a post she cherished and excelled at until her passing.
St Gerard’s brought out the very best in Gillian and Gillian gave of her utmost to the school, staff, past pupils and pupils. This became her heartfelt vocation and she has made her mark on St Gerard’s values. Gillian’s dedication to developing the school’s archives will always be an enduring part of her legacy.
Gillian was averse to any attention concerning herself and her achievements. She liked to use her talents quietly and diplomatically but without compromising the attainment of her objectives. She was possessed of an intelligent mind and she was a truly skilled administrator.
When Gillian received the Sacrament of the Sick, she was anointed by the making of the Sign of the Cross upon her forehead. A few days later her grandnephew Tiarnan was baptised as a Christian by the making of the same sign upon his forehead.
She was interred last month in St Peter’s Cemetery within sight of the cross on Bray Head, and amongst the graves of her family. The cross bookends her life as a Christian.
Gillian is survived by her son Jonathan Lynch, her sister Annette Smith and brother John Hynes, family-in-law, and extended family and friends.