Janet Mitchell Lynch

Janet Mitchell Lynch, a civic-minded Mercer Island woman who loved school, classical music and liberal causes, died December 3, 2015 at the age of 87.

She was a genealogist, a birder and a bridge player, a fine singer, a tennis player, a fan of public radio and a voracious reader who consumed almost a book a week for much of her life.

She worked for the League of Women Voters, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wilderness Society. She served as a guardian ad litem, representing neglected children in court custody decisions, and helped gather signatures to pass Washington State’s Death with Dignity Act.

Former King County Superior Court Judge Robert Winsor once described her as “the most informed citizen I know.”

Janet’s demeanor was pleasant and gracious. Quick to smile and easy to make laugh, she was a versatile conversationalist, yet she rarely talked about herself.

The daughter of a lawyer and a nurse, she was born April 7, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A scholar, she attended Smith College and Chatham College for Women, graduating with a master’s in chemistry before a Pittsburgh man named Levin Lynch persuaded her to marry him and move west to Seattle in 1955.

The young couple bought a small home on the southern tip of Mercer Island and raised two children. Most family adventures involved exploring Puget Sound aboard a sailboat. With her kids out of the house, Janet eagerly returned to the classroom and earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington. In later years, she relished trips to Europe and Central America.

When her health faltered, then gradually worsened, she never complained.

Beloved by friends and family, Janet is survived by her husband of 60 years, Levin; her daughter Jennie Nelson and husband Webb; her son Jim Lynch and wife Denise; her grandchildren Levin Nelson, Grace Lynch, McGhee Webster and wife Tonya; and her three great grandchildren Kahlee, Sophia and Geneva Webster.

In lieu of flowers, Janet’s family urges friends to please donate on her behalf to one of the organizations she supported, such as KUOW’s public radio station, the Audubon Society, the League of Women Voters or the NAACP. To contact the family: lynchjames@comcast.net.