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Obituaries

William J. Lynch Sr. | English professor, 77

    Published 

William J. Lynch Sr., 77, of Ambler, retired chairman of the English department at Montgomery County Community College, died of heart failure Monday at home.

Dr. Lynch graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory School and earned a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's College, and remained a huge Hawks basketball fan. After earning a master's degree in English literature from Boston College, he taught at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia and North Penn High School in Lansdale. He then taught at St. Joseph's College while earning a doctorate in English literature at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1964, he joined the faculty of the newly opened Montgomery County Community College. He retired in 1992.

Dr. Lynch wrote an essay in the Inquirer Magazine in 1985 about growing up watching the Marx Brothers and others in Hollywood films at movie theaters and self-published a memoir about his childhood in an "Irish village" in North Philadelphia. Recently he contributed essays to the anthology

Three Plays by George Kelly

. He enjoyed watching the Phillies and playing the piano.

Since 1954, Dr. Lynch had been married to Eileen Lynch, whom he had met at a college poetry society meeting. He is also survived by sons William Jr., James and Michael; a daughter, Jane; and 11 grandchildren. Daughter Mary died in 2005.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 259 Forest Ave., Ambler.