John Hampton Lynch III

John Hampton Lynch III was born on April 2, 1936 in New York City to Emeline Danforth Starr Lynch and John Hampton Lynch Jr. of New York and Ridgefield, CT. He died on October 21, 2021 at home in Kentfield, California, at age 85. His greatest love was his family: Gay, his wife of 59 years and their children: Lindsay (Rob), John (Ellen) and Andrew.

John’s warmth, tenderness and humor were avenues for initiating friendships wherever he went. He found joy in each new person he met. He treasured these heartful connections, seasoned with inside jokes or a special nickname and deepened over time, every day of his life.

John grew up in Ridgefield, CT, spending formative years at Mountain Greenery, the family home, and West Mountain Farm, the home of his grandparents, Lucy Moffitt Lynch and John Hampton Lynch Sr.

Following the tragic loss of John’s father at the tender age of 11, stepfather Ken Carter introduced him to the joys of boating and fishing and provided him with a loving model of how to be a man.

John graduated from the Taft School in Watertown, CT in 1954 and headed west to Stanford University. He was welcomed to San Francisco by his California family, particularly his cousin Herb Moffitt and his wife, Gwynne. After 3 years in the Marine Corps, John graduated from Stanford University in 1961.

In San Francisco, John met the love of his life, Gay Ord Pollock. After a whirlwind romance set at Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlor, the Coachman Restaurant, and in the wilds of northern California, they married at Grace Cathedral in December of 1962. Gay’s parents, Gertrude and Chuck, and brothers, Jim and Ted, welcomed John into their family as one of their own. John and Gay began their married life in New York City, where John worked for First National City Bank. In 1964, they welcomed their first child, Lindsay Ord. John’s work soon took the young family to Brussels, Belgium. Returning from Belgium in 1966, the family settled in Marin County, adding a little brother, John Hampton IV, that fall. John continued his banking career in San Francisco with Crocker National Bank. In the spring of 1969, John and Gay welcomed their third child, Andrew Charles, and their family unit was complete. John found lifetime joy in knowing and loving each of his three children.

John and Gay took their family to Norway for two months in 1973. Banking was the reason for the trip but the savored joys of time in nature with good friends made a lasting impression on the family.

After Crocker, John’s work in banking continued in San Francisco with the Algemene Bank Nederland. John and Gay suffered the loss of their son Andrew in 1991. John’s perseverance in the wake of this loss and numerous health challenges continues to inspire his family. He lived on to share joy in each day of life, to support his family, and to surround his wife, children and grandchildren with love and compassion. John was particularly supportive and proud of his wife, Gay’s, academic accomplishments that blossomed into her close cohort of religious studies scholars and colleagues, and her transformational impact on her students.

John was a past member of the San Rafael Rotary, Pacific Union Club, the University Club and the Lagunitas Club. He served as a trustee of the Katharine Branson/Mount Tamalpais School in the 1970s.

Standing 6’5”, this “tall drink of water,” loved his East Coast family, his friends, the St. Louis Cardinals, fishing, racing cars, boating, the 49ers, and family time at Bucks Lake. John was predeceased by his sisters Lucy Moffitt Park (Laird) and Emeline “Dolly” Lynch Wittman (Joseph) and his son, Andrew Charles Lynch.

John is survived by his wife Gay, children Lindsay Lynch Lytle (Robert James) and John Hampton Lynch IV (Ellen Therese Bartkowski) and grandchildren: Laura James Lytle, Kathryn Emeline Lytle, Parker Mitten Lynch, Nora Pollock Lynch, William Andrew Lytle and Willa Emeline Hampton Lynch, as well as his treasured nieces and nephews of the Wittman, Park and Pollock families.

John’s death leaves a void in our lives, the shape of a man who was tender, loving and always saw the best in people. John, Dad, Grandpa, Papa: his Light shines eternally in our hearts and souls.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 in the Chapel at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of John H. Lynch III to Marin Country Day School’s Indexed Tuition Fund. Address: Marin Country Day School, 5221 Paradise Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925 Phone: 415-927-5937

Christine Balabanian passed peacefully in her sleep on November 8, 2021 at the age of 83 in San Francisco after battling cancer for two and a half years. David, her devoted husband of nearly 60 years, was at her side.

Christine’s life was international and her experiences made her interesting, entertaining and special to her loved ones and friends. Christine was born in Asansol, India, near Kolkata on April 2, 1938 to Sarkis and Sourpick Madath. Her Armenian family had settled there for many years but eventually moved to Paris when she was 8 and then to Wimbledon, England where she stayed until she married David, who was studying at Oxford, in June 1962. She lived in Cambridge, MA for three years while David attended law school and then they relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. They lived in the City for a few years and moved across the Bay to Berkeley in 1968 where they raised their children. In 1999, they moved back to San Francisco, this time to Russian Hill, where Christine resided until her passing. Wherever Christine went, she adapted to the culture and she connected with the people and communities.

Christine’s career began as a translator for the French government. She was also a secretary at Harvard University and Business Week, before taking a hiatus to raise her children. Once the nest emptied, she took a sales position at a jewelry store in the San Francisco Gift Center. She loved interacting with and helping clients, and she enjoyed the company and camaraderie of her colleagues.

Christine loved the arts, especially theater and