Longtime Chewelah Fixture Lynch Dies

Fri., Aug. 21, 1998

(From Replay, August 22, 1998): Longtime Chewelah athletic director and former boys basketball coach Bob Lynch passed away Wednesday evening of a heart attack. The day was incorrect in Friday’s report in some editions.

Bob Lynch, Chewelah High School’s beloved athletic director and longtime former boys basketball coach, is dead of a heart attack at age 59.

Lynch died Thursday night, four weeks after undergoing heart surgery. Memorial services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. in the gymnasium of the school he served for more than 20 years.

A California native, Lynch grew up in the Ione-Metaline Falls area and played basketball at Wenatchee Valley College before graduating from Eastern Washington University in 1968. He taught and coached at Pateros, Dayton and Prosser before coming to Chewelah in 1977.

Larger than life in body and spirit, Lynch coached boys basketball for all but one of the next 15 seasons, assisted in football and taught history, physical education and health. He had been the athletic director for the last nine years.

Three of his basketball teams reached the Class A state tournament. Two of them placed eighth.

“He just loved kids and kids loved him,” said Ken Hall, a close friend.

Lynch is survived by his wife, Judy.

Golf

Paige MacKenzie of Yakima won the last two holes of her semifinals match with Spokane’s Lani Elston Thursday to join Maria Valente of Renton, Wash., in today’s championship match of the 43rd Pacific Northwest Golf Association Junior Girls Amateur tournament at Selah, Wash.

McKenzie sank a 12-foot putt on the 18th hole for her 1-up victory. Elston reached the semis by routing Jill Ferrante of Vancouver, Wash., 8 and 7.

Spokane’s Corey Prugh and Mike Hastings remain well off the pace after two rounds of the AJGA IZZO Colorado Junior Roundup at Westminster, Colo.

Prugh shot par 72 for a total of 151, eight shots behind leader Michael Urbatchka, Sheridan, Wyo. Hastings had a 76 for 153.

Basketball

For the second consecutive season, University of Idaho will play a non-conference home men’s basketball game televised by ESPN2.

The Vandals juggled their schedule to bring in Iona on Thursday, Feb. 4, probably at 9 p.m. A game against New Mexico State was moved from Feb. 4 to Monday, Feb. 8.

Idaho defeated Southwest Missouri State 74-71 in overtime last year on ESPN2.

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Longtime Chewelah Fixture Lynch Dies

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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