C. Richard Lynham

Charles Richard Lynham 'Dick', 78, set his sails to catch the wind and turned toward safe harbor Friday, February 28, 2020, after a long goodbye due to Alzheimer's. His wife of 55 years, Elizabeth 'Betty' Card Lynham, his two children and their families and his youngest sibling, Mary O'Connell gathered at his bedside during the last week, singing and playing guitar, reading his favorite books and recounting stories and life lessons learned with Dick/Dad. His 98 year old mom, Louise Lynham, came from Baltimore to visit in January.Born the eldest of seven children of John Cameron Lynham and Louise Lynch Lynham in Easton, Maryland, Dick was an Eagle Scout and a proud graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic High School. He earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University. He served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam and retired with the rank of Captain. In 1974 he moved his family to Medina, where they lived for 43 years. He was an executive with Foseco Corporation and a vice president with Ferro Corporation. In 1992, Dick became owner and CEO of Harbor Castings Inc., an investment castings company in Canton. He sold the company in 2017 and he and Betty moved to Kirkland Village in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.In Medina, Dick was a community leader and philanthropist. He was an advisor to Boy Scout Troop 501 and led them on two trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He served on the Board of Medina County Hospice for many years. He served as President and major fundraiser to build a care center and headquarters building. He was a Board member with Corrpro Corporation and with Chickmaster Company. He was a founder and Board member of Western Reserve Bank. He was a member of the Squires Group. All his life he was a runner; in later years he always medalled in his age group. He ran his first half-marathon in Cleveland at age 71 and came in third!Dick and Betty were sailors, first at Chippewa Yacht Club, where Dick was Commodore, then at Harbor Bay Yacht Club in Sandusky, where they raced their Catalina.Dick, Betty and their daughter, Jennifer were alumni of Cornell University. Through the decades Dick held numerous alumni leadership positions including President of the Cornell Alumni Association and President and Major Gifts Chair of the Class of '63. He was a life member of the University Council. He started the tradition of the Reunion 5K run, helped create the Exemplary Alumni volunteer award (which he later won), raised millions of dollars for the university and most importantly, made hundreds of lifelong friends; people he didn't necessarily know as a student, but came to see as kindred spirits for life. He and Betty also established two endowed scholarships for students in the College of Engineering and College of Human Ecology.Dick is survived by his wife, Betty; son, Thomas Lynham (Lisa) of Portland, Oregon; daughter, Jennifer Cunningham (Sean) of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; grandchildren, Lucy Lynham and Phoebe and Oscar Cunningham; his mother, Louise Lynham and five of six siblings.Dick will be inurned at the Western Reserve National Veterans Cemetery in Seville at 2:45 p.m. on Friday, August 27, 2021, followed by a celebratory reception at the United Church of Christ in Medina from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.To honor Dick's memory and his commitment to philanthropy, we ask that you stop for a moment and think of him while you're writing out a check or volunteering for the causes that matter most to you.