Lynn Annette Williams of Lexington passed away on Feb. 10, 2023.
Born Dec. 20, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Jacob and Florence Snyder, Lynn was raised in Easton, Pa.
After graduating from high school in 1959, Lynn went to college at Richmond Professional Institute (now known as Virginia Commonwealth University) in Richmond and studied interior design.
Lynn worked for Coca-Cola in Easton, where she met her first husband, Gerald “Jerry” Fritchman. Lynn and Jerry had three daughters together. Jerry died unexpectedly in 1972.
Lynn and her daughters moved to Lexington in 1975, when Lynn married Harry Thomas “Tom” Williams Jr. Their blended family now included four daughters and one son. Before Tom’s passing in 2019, Tom and Lynn had been married for almost 44 years. Lynn felt so fortunate to have had two husbands whom she loved dearly.
With five children from ages 10 to 3, Lynn kept their home running smoothly while Tom served as a physics professor, department head, dean and provost during his 37 years at Washington and Lee University.
After their children ventured to college, careers and started their own families, Lynn volunteered as president of the local American Red Cross office for several years. She also had a tremendous love for animals, rescuing stray dogs and cats and nursing baby birds back to health over the years.
Lynn and Tom moved to Kendal at Lexington in 2017, where many of their friends from W&L and VMI lived. They also met many new friends and were happy to be part of such a vibrant community. They cherished their time at Kendal.
Lynn is survived by her brother Rick (Annette) of Bath, Pa.; her children Ann Merkel (Bob) of Winston-Salem, N.C., Scott Williams (Sharon Vandivere) of Takoma Park, Md., Christine Riley (Jeff) of Charlottesville, Janice Weatherly (Richard) of Burlington, N.C., and Leigh Baker of Moneta; and 10 grandchildren, Will (Jenna) and Ben (Paige) Riley, Elise and Annie Weatherly, Samuel and Abigail Baker, Grace Williams, Isaac Merkel, and Dearndre and Laneisha Scriber. In addition, Lynn is survived by Harry, her Corgi and constant companion.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, Feb. 17, at Kendal in the Anderson Center at 2 p.m. A reception will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Rockbridge Area Hospice, 315 Myers St., Lexington, VA 24450 or your local SPCA.
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