Francis A. (Jr) Lynn

Francis A. Lynn, Jr, passed away on November 13 at the age of 90 years.

Frank was a builder of sorts:

He built a marriage with Mary Louise Urbain. Their years together reflected their vows – they knew richer and poorer, sickness and health – and through it all, their partnership flourished with love, friendship, respect, and humor for 61 years.

Frank built a family with Mary Lou. They had seven children – Marie (Wayne Spinosa), Kathy (Carl Cullotta), Patty (Don Toht), Tom (Lisa), Jeanne (Scott FitzGibbons), James (Susan), and Mary Frances (Tim Loversky). Frank taught them small things, like how tend a garden, conquer math, drive a car, as well as life lessons, like “family comes first” and “if you’re going to do something, do it right.” He believed in education and travel and supported his children in the pursuit of both. He introduced his eighteen grandkids to the theater and encouraged them to follow their dreams. His seven great-grandchildren knew his love through hugs and laughter.

Frank built homes – one quite literally, building an addition himself on their first tiny house to accommodate a growing family. Others, he built figuratively. A ramblinghouse in Glen Ellyn, IL and a lake house in Grand Haven, MI were homes to a happy chaos of kids, pets, and huge family gatherings. A brownstone in Chicago and retirement condo were quieter, but doors flung open readilyto welcome loved ones.

Frank Lynn & Associates was the consulting firm Frank built, beginning in 1973. Beyond building the premier consulting firm in the area of channel marketing, Frank was widely recognized as an expert. Among his most notable achievements was his role as the architect of IBM’s Personal Computer strategy, for which he received a Lifetime contribution award from IBM. This was one of many awards Frank received for his contributions that were state-of-the-art in his field. Perhaps his greatest professional legacy is the ongoing impact of his body of knowledge carried on through countless alums and clients of Frank Lynn & Associates.

Frank also built incredible relationships over his 90 years, and he valued each one.

Due to the pandemic, a funeral Mass is for immediate family only, but will be live-streamed from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxous2JkHFg on Friday, December 18, 2020, at 11:00 am. If interested in future memorial services, which we expect to occur next summer, or to share a memory of Frank, please email: honoring.frank@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Frank Lynn can be made to Heifer International and Morton Arboretum (https://www.mortonarb.org/join-support/donate/tribute-gifts).

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