of Conway, AR

May 15, 1925 - February 2, 2019

Dr. Audie James Lynch, 93 of Conway passed to his heavenly home on Saturday, February 2, 2019. He was born May 15, 1925 to Elvin Warner Lynch and Maye Stroud Lynch in their farm home five miles southwest of Scotland, Van Buren County. He attended four years of elementary school in a one-room school and graduated from Scotland High School as valedictorian in 1942.

Audie enrolled in Arkansas State Teachers College in the summer of 1942 and completed one year before enlisting in the Navy during World War II. After 16 months of training at Southeast Missouri State Teachers College and Notre Dame University, he graduated from reserve midshipmen school and was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy Reserve. His assignment for the next 21 months was to the USS Charles Carroll, an assault transport in the Pacific Theater. As a boat officer, he participated in the Okinawa invasion leading a group of landing craft vehicle personnel boats (also known as LCVP's or Higgins boats) loaded with marines to the invasion beach on D-Day. On the fourth day of the invasion he was in charge of a boat crew which took Ernie Pyle, the famous war correspondent, ashore where Pyle was killed by a Japanese sniper two weeks later.

After World War II ended, Audie's ship made several round trips from the west coast to various locations in the Philippine Islands, China, and Japan transporting supplies for armed forces in these locations and returning military personnel to the states for discharge from the service. He was separated from the service in July, 1946 and returned to Arkansas State Teachers College where he received a BSE in 1947. He then began teaching social studies and mathematics at Clarendon High School before moving to New York City to earn a MA degree at Columbia University Teachers College.
After teaching mathematics at Hot Springs High School, Audie enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he received an EdD degree in 1953. He accepted a position in the education department at Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas) where he served as a professor and administrator for the next 34 years retiring in 1987. Dr. Lynch enjoyed training thousands of classroom teachers and assisting them in obtaining their certification to teach.

Lynch was an active member of Conway's First Baptist Church where he had served as a Sunday School Teacher and Director, deacon, president of the Golden Circle, and on numerous committees. He was active in the UCA community receiving Professor Emeritus status, serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and attending football games, tailgates and performances at the Reynolds Auditorium. He was also a member of Gideon's International, Conway Noon Lions Club (60+ years) and Faulkner County Retired Teachers. He had formerly served his community as a Conway Regional Medical Center Volunteer, member of the Conway Planning Commission (1960s), and was the long time chairman of the Faulkner County Education Board
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In 1948, Lynch married Sallijane Jones of Lonoke. Sallijane died in 2000 after having been married for 52 years. In 2004, he married Elizabeth (Bess) Mills Graves a native of Springhill who had lived many years in DeWitt. She died in 2016 after 11 years of marriage. Lynch was preceded in death by his wives, an infant son, Robert Lynch; son-in-law Matt Adlong; brothers Rupert, Alton, Charles, and Doyle and an infant sister, Eathel.

Audie is survived by his brother William Lynch, children, Dr. Alan Lynch (Charlotte) and Rosemary Adlong ; grandchildren Luke Adlong (Alexandria), Sally Schanandore (Cole), Billy Lynch and was anticipating the birth of his first great grandchild next month. He is also survived by his stepchildren and their families, Philip Graves (Dawn, Adam & Clara) and Susan Graves McNair(Leigh, Robert and Emma), nieces and nephews and his friends at College Square Retirement Center.

Funeral service will be held at Conway's First Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Friday, February 8 with a family visitation at 1 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Audie Lynch and Sallijane Jones Lynch Scholarship Fund, UCA Foundation, Inc. Box 4986, Conway, AR 72035 or Conway's First Baptist Church Building Fund, 1719 Robinson Avenue, Conway, AR 72034.

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