James Lynch

James Lynch, 23, of Lawrence, died on December 27, 2022, in his home in Ottawa, KS. He is survived by his parents, Eric and Kara Lynch and his sister, Grace Lynch, all of Lawrence; his grandmother Betty Lynch of Lawrence; his many aunts and uncles Helen and John Bugh (Raytown MO), Chris and Melodie Lynch (Wildwood, NJ), Mary and Rob Matthews (Lawrence), Lori Bryan (Lawrence) and Pat and Sara Lynch (Desoto, KS). Phyllis Brown (El Dorado, KS), Darcy Woodham (Denver, CO), Danis and Karl Sprague (Orlando Fl), Kelley Gillum and Tony Plumb (Chelem, Mexico)  and 19 first cousins.

James was known and loved for his ability to connect with others through kindness. Many years ago, his mom asked him what he wanted to do for work when he got older. He said, “I want to be kind.”

He also entertained his family and friends while growing up with his many phases: his taekwondo phase, his magic phase, his “collection” phase, his Steve Jobs/Apple phase, his baseball phase, his parkour phase, his Justin Bieber hair phase, his Instagram local celebrity phase, his vegan phase, and his “The Office” phase.

James attended Corpus Christi Catholic School through fourth grade, then attended Schwegler Elementary, South Middle School and Lawrence High School, where he graduated in 2017. While at Lawrence High, he was involved in choir and was on the swim team and cross country team.

What James loved most in the world were people, his family, his dogs, singing, all things Harry Potter, thrifting, and graphic t-shirts. In this past year, he taught himself to be an exceptional cook. He also came to find great joy in making music, especially rap music, with his friends. The last month of his life, he treated himself to his great adventure when he went on a solo road trip to Tijuana, Mexico. He spent his time there meeting people, exploring the culture and having great fun trying to learn enough Spanish to communicate. He said that this trip was life changing for him.

James Lynch’s funeral will be Friday, January 6, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. The visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., followed by Mass. His family will speak at the visitation. They will plan to speak at 11 a.m.

A few weeks before James’ death, he told his family that he would like to create a movement that he called “Kindness, Just Because.” To his core, he believed that every person should be seen and heard. To honor that beautiful vision, and in lieu of flowers, the family has created a GoFundMe account https://gofund.me/491fee59 that will be used exclusively to fund moments of kindness in this community and beyond.