Lynch, Kenneth
LYNCH, Jr., Kenneth
Kenneth Parsons Lynch, Jr., 80, died peacefully in his Atlanta home of nearly 50 years on July 13, 2022. Ken was born in Baltimore, MD on April 7, 1942 and was the oldest son of the late Kenneth Parsons Lynch, Sr. and Elizabeth Zimmerman Lynch. At the age of 7, Ken moved with his family to Hagerstown, MD, where he spent much of his childhood. The family moved to Atlanta in 1957 when Ken was 15. He was a graduate of the Northside High School class of 1960; he then attended The University of Virginia where he thrived as an artist and as a student, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He graduated from UVA in 1965 with a degree in Architecture. After college, Ken returned to Atlanta where he began his career as a residential architect at Toombs, Amisano, & Wells, and Cooper Carry. He met his wife, Peggy, on a blind date in Atlanta, and they married in 1969. They were married for 46 years until the time of her death in 2015.
Ken later joined Henry Norris Associates and formed Architects Norris & Lynch. In 1986, he started his own architecture firm, Kenneth Lynch & Associates, AIA (American Institute of Architects), where he had a long and noted career until retiring in 2019. Ken had an exceptional eye for design and detail and was most talented in the art of scale, proportion and restraint. A colleague once fondly referred to him as "the architect who knew when to put the pen down". Ken's projects were featured in numerous publications including Southern Accents, Veranda, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Southern Living and The New York Times. In addition to Atlanta, he was proud to have completed projects all across the Southeast, the Caribbean, New York, and New Jersey.
Ken took great pride in his work and in his clients. He truly valued the relationships he formed with both colleagues and clients and was often noted for his subtle diplomacy in navigating design meetings. For many years, Ken delighted in creating unique hand-drawn sketches with intricate detail of favorite places he had visited; these sketches became the annual KL&A holiday cards that were shared with, cherished and often framed by his family, friends and clients. He also enjoyed donating his talent and time to various charitable organizations such as the Festival of Trees in Atlanta. Ken was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church for 64 years where he served as an Elder. He was active in his community as well, serving as President of The Vinings Homeowners Association and on the Vinings Vision Planning Committee. He also served as President of The Vinings Club and President of The Lake Burton Civic Association. Lake Burton was a special place to Ken for 42 years; he loved spending his free time there with family and friends and was grateful to have also worked on many projects on the lake throughout his career.
In recent years, Ken suffered from dementia and developed complete vision loss, a particularly tough loss for such a visual, artistic person. Through it all, however, he maintained his dry sense of humor and positive, strong spirit. The family is grateful to his wonderful, loving caretakers, Shawanna Jinks, Pequita Capers and Jasmine Irons, who made it possible for him to remain at home in his final days. Ken was a loving son, brother, husband, father and grandfather who truly valued family and friends. He will be remembered by them as a gentle, kind man with a mild manner, quick wit and sharp intellect.
Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy Lynch. He is survived by his son, Kenneth "Kip" P. Lynch, III; daughter, Sally Lynch Mefford; son-in-law, Taylor Mefford; former daughter-in-law, Molly Maxwell Lynch; and his 5 grandchildren of whom he was so proud, Liddy and Susanna Lynch, and Andrew, Anna and Hollis Mefford, all of Atlanta. Ken is also survived by his sister, Debbie Cagle and brother-in-law, Chuck Cagle of Atlanta; brother, Bob Lynch and sister-in-law, Carol Lynch of Sydney, Australia; brother-in-law, Jerome Hopkins and sister-in-law, Jackie Hopkins of Lexington, KY; as well as a beloved extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins, and loyal business manager and dear friend of over 31 years, Janet Powell.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, August 8 at 10 AM in Dobbs Chapel at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30327. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial donation to Trinity Presbyterian Church (trinityatlanta.org) or The Lake Burton Civic Association Foundation Scholarship Fund (Lbca.net), PO Box 1988, Clayton, GA 30525.
