Obituary of Alfred Lynch

LYNCH, Alfred ‘Alf’ Pictou Alfred ‘Alf’ Lynch -age 96, passed away April 30, 2022 at the Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow. Born June 3, 1925 in New Glasgow, he was the son of the late Frank and Mary (Morrison) Lynch. He was predeceased by his wife, June; daughter, Debbie; sisters Betty and Maude; nephew, Billy. Alf was a most unique character who lived life to the fullest. He was a gifted machinist and neighbourhood Mr. Fix It. One might say he was the real life and original “MacGyver”. He could design and repair almost anything metal but seemed to have a crippling allergy to wood projects. His working career was varied including owning one of the first taxis in New Glasgow. He also worked in the Albion mine doing machine maintenance and then on to Trenton Works machining gun barrels. This was followed by a lengthy and happy time at Enterprise Foundry as the maintenance manager. Eventually he moved on to become the instructor at Dorchester Penitentiary’s machine shop. Finally, he was the founder and owner/operator of Lynch Well Drilling. Alf was as skilled and committed to his many interests and hobbies as he was to being a machinist. These included snowmobiling, hunting, fishing (sometimes in season), scuba diving, scrap yard specialist, flying and gardening in his later years. However, perhaps Alf’s finest skill was not as a machinist or hobbyist but as a story teller. The stories about his experiences were always entertaining and often never ending. If you didn’t completely hear or fully understand one of his stories…don’t worry…you would eventually hear it again. The stories may have had some embellishments but they were never boring or without great detail. He once said there were two types of people in the world. One group did exciting and adventurous things and enjoyed talking about it. The other group enjoyed listening to people talk about their exciting lives. Guess to which group he belonged. Another innate quality Alf showed was his ability to “wheel and deal”. Buying and selling came naturally to him and he approached every deal as not only a financial transaction but as a sport. One of his favourite sales pitches (with a straight face) was “almost brand new and with original paint”. He also proudly boasted he painted projects for “protection not for perfection”. Alf has been as lucky as a cat with nine lives defying death on many occasions. This included being run over by a car, very close encounters with dynamite, four hip replacements, triple heart by-pass, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and being accidentally shot with a gun. He also had many non medical close calls from which he always managed to escape with no significant personal injury or serious property damage. Ultimately Alf was a family man. He enjoyed doing exciting and meaningful things with family. Be it camping trips to Seafoam, hunting and fishing trips, snowmobiling or just spending time at the cottage on the Amherst Shore, he always included family and a few lucky close friends. Alf is survived by children, Ron (Joyce), Doug, Barb (Kim); grandchildren, Chris (Jenny), Andrew (Jessica), Patrick (Julie), Michelle, Laura; great-grandchildren, Curtis, Frances, Jocelyn, Hazel, Ivy, Evan, Alanna and Brynn. In the end, Alf said he had no regrets or unfinished business. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted. He always followed the law according to Alf and just maybe he inspired Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way”. He died peacefully and almost to the very end still telling the same stories he told all his life with perhaps just a bit more embellishment. Alf’s ashes will be interred in a private ceremony at the Brookside Cemetery, New Glasgow. No flowers by request of the family. Instead good wishes and pleasant memories graciously accepted. Donations can be made to a charity of your choice. Respectfully submitted by the family of Alf Lynch.