William O. Lynch

William O. Lynch, age 85, of Cazenovia, New York and Venice, Florida, passed away on April 8, 2008. He was born in Newark, New Jersey on May 26, 1922. He graduated from the Newark College of Engineering (NCE) of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, volunteered for the U.S. Navy. Later, during the Korean Conflict, he was recalled to active duty and promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Between and after his naval service, he earned Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Bill was an Associate Professor at Cornell University for 8 years, and later became a partner with Stearns & Wheler Environmental Engineers in Cazenovia, from which he retired after 20 years. He served as President of the American Water Works Association and in 2004 was inducted into the Water Industry Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions to the water quality industry. In Cazenovia, Bill belonged to the Masonic Lodge, Willow Bank Yacht Club and the Cazenovia Club for many years. In Florida, he was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice, where he also sang in the choir. He loved sailing and, above all, music. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Eugene Ritzenthaler of Arlington, Virginia; his daughter, Carol Lynch of Cazenovia, New York; his daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and John Byron of Fabius, New York; and two grandchildren, David Byron and Katherine Byron. He was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Helen Spencer Lynch, in 2002. A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 5:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice. Inurnment will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Memorial donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice, Attention: Treasurer, 1971 Pinebrook Road, Venice, Florida 34284 or to Newark College of Engineering of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Contribution checks to NCE would be payable to “Foundation of NJIT” with memo “In memory of William O. Lynch for NCE Dean’s Fund” and addressed to: Attention: Kim Kramer, Director of Operations, Office of University Advancement, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 323 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Newark, New Jersey 07102-1982. Farley Funeral Home in Venice, Florida is handling the arrangements.