Robert Lynn, Sr., 1939-2012: Plumber was official in union's Local 50
6/17/2012Robert Lynn, Sr., who literally wore many hats and worked as a plumber and pipefitter for 49 years, died at his Oregon home on Wednesday after a year-long battle with prostate cancer.
Mr. Lynn, 72, known for his hats and colored sunglasses, worked for a number of companies and contractors as a journeyman with Local 50 Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics, said his youngest son, Bob Lynn, Jr., 49.
The elder Mr. Lynn was born in Toledo on Sept. 6, 1931, to Frank and Dorothy Lynn.
He often skipped class at Woodward High School to take plumbing jobs, so much so that it seemed he might not graduate. During his junior year, that changed when he met Geraldine Jurski who, in June, 1961, became his wife. Mr. Lynn graduated in 1956.
As a plumber, he was heavily involved with Local 50, serving as a business agent for three years in the early 1990s. He was a founding member of the Local 50 Credit Union.
Mr. Lynn's son said his father's favorite bumper sticker read, "A working man who votes Republican is like a chicken who votes for Colonel Sanders."
Mr. Lynn retired in 1996 after a car crash shattered his hip and badly damaged his hands, his son said. Nevertheless, he was active in the Toledo Area Jobs with Justice, Northwest Ohio Building Trades and Construction Trades Council, Old Newsboys, International Music Association, and the Toledo Area Polka Society.
He also liked to spend time with his grandchildren -- he encouraged his grandsons to dress well, giving them $1 each time they wore a tie.
"He was a very fun-loving guy," Mr. Lynn said.
Mr. Lynn is survived by his his wife, Geraldine; sons Robert and Thomas; daughters Sandra Earl, Cynthia Zalew- ski, Michele Garcia, and Sherrie Meinerding, and 13 grandchildren.
Visitation is to be today from 2 to 8 p.m. at Freck Funeral Chapel, 1155 S. Wynn Rd., Oregon. Services are to be Monday at 10 a.m. in St. Ignatius Catholic Church. The family suggests tributes to the church or Cherry Street Mission.