Carolyn Hoff Lynch (''née'' Carolyn Ann Hoff; August 26, 1946 – October 1, 2015) was an American philanthropist and

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions o ...

multi-national and gold medal world champion.

Philanthropy

Lynch, along with her husband

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, co-founded the Lynch Foundation in 1988, and served as its chairman and president. The Lynch Foundation, valued at $125 million, gave away $8 million in 2013 and has made $80 million in grants since its inception. The Foundation supports education, religious organizations, cultural and historic organizations, hospitals, and medical research. The Lynches give money primarily in five ways: as individuals, through the Lynch Foundation, through a Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, and through two charitable trusts. The Lynches have made gifts as individuals, donating $10 million to Peter Lynch's alma mater,

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

, naming the School of Education after the family.

Bridge accomplishments

Lynch was a Grand Life Master in the

American Contract Bridge League The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission ''"to promote, grow and sustain th ...

and was a five-time national and a gold medal world champion.

Wins

Keohane North American Swiss Teams The Keohane North American Swiss Teams bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North American Bridge Championship (NABC). The Keohane North American Swiss Teams is a six session Swiss Teams A Swiss-system t ...

(3) 2008, 2009, 2014 * Baze Senior Knockout Teams (1) 2009 *

Roth Open Swiss Teams The Roth Open Swiss Teams is a national bridge championship Swiss Teams event held at the summer American Contract Bridge League The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, M ...

(1) 2013 * d’Orsi Senior Trophy (1) 2013

Runners-up

(1) 2006 *

(1) 2012 * Baze Senior Knockout Teams (2) 2013, 2014

Personal life

Carolyn married Peter Lynch on May 11, 1968 and they moved to

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...

, in 1970. Together, they raised three daughters: Mary, Annie, and Elizabeth. Carolyn died at age 69 in October 2015, from complications of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

. The ''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

'' documentary episode "Black hole apocalypse" (2018) that aired on January 10, 2018 was dedicated in her memory.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Carolyn 1946 births American contract bridge players Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni 2015 deaths 20th-century American philanthropists