Lynne (Edgerton) Kinnunen Obituary (1941 - 2019)

Born Jun 22, 1941, Lynne (Edgerton) Kinnunen attended Lewis And Clark High School in Spokane, WA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Lynne (edgerton) Kinnunen.

Graduation Year	Class of 1959
Date of Birth	Jun 22, 1941
Date of Passing	Aug 03, 2019
About	Lynne Edgerton Kinnunen, b. June 22, 1941 - d. August 3, 2019. Lynne was born to parents Judge Ralph P. and Frances (Still) Edgerton in Spokane, WA, remaining a lifelong resident. Lynne went to grade school at Roosevelt Elementary and attended Lewis and Clark High School, where she was a member of the Ti-Girls, Artemiad sorority and played violin - which she hated - in the orchestra before finally getting to switch to the choir - which she loved - as a senior. Known for her sarcastic sense of humor, pretty smile and big laugh, Lynne was also an honor roll student and, judging by her scrapbook crammed full of dance invitations, sorority events and newspaper photos in which she appeared, she was VERY popular. Youthful summers were spent at the family cabin at Sacheen Lake, where Lynne became a pretty fair water skier who could "drop a ski" and "jump the wake" (even at the age of 50!). After high school she attended WSU for two years before "chasing a boy" (her words) to Arizona State University, where she graduated with a degree in sociology. While at ASU she met and married John Schaar - not the boy she had chased - and together they were parents to two daughters, Susan and Kathleen, before divorcing after eight years. Lynne then married Jim Kinnunen, gaining not only a husband but a stepson, Erick, and this became the family that all grew up together for the next 37 years. There were also many, many dogs in the home; at no time were there less than four and at one point Lynne and Jim were parents to EIGHT fur babies - including three rescue Greyhounds - all at once. (They went through a LOT of paper towels.) Lynne was a voracious reader, favoring mystery novels and personal growth books, and she was involved for many years in AlAnon, which she felt could benefit anyone. Most importantly to her family, though, Lynne was first and foremost a stay-at-home mom. It was a role she chose partly because 1) she was never really all that interested in a career, but more importantly 2) she firmly believed that children needed a parent at home in order to feel grounded and secure. She modeled her parenting after how her own mother had raised her, allowing her kids to be kids, not saddling them with chores nor expecting them to be little adults. A child's 'job', she said, was to make friends, learn how to get along with others, and do their homework, and she maintained that her kids would learn responsibility from watching their parents' example. And she was right, we did. She had the life she wanted, but sometimes she compared her choices with those of others she knew who had pursued more ambitious, adventurous paths and wondered if she should have done "more." She admired others who seemed to her so much more "accomplished", people who had important sounding jobs or who had traveled extensively or who had invented a squidget that made them fabulously wealthy, and she thought her life seemed small when measured by those standards. She didn't think "homemaker" was a very impressive thing to put on a resume. But isn't it? Few things are more important than having a safe place to call 'home', and if the house is kept clean and the food there is not just "wholesome" (her word) but tasty, too, then that's pretty much the Life Trifecta. This is what Lynne provided for her family and small circle of close friends. She was loved and appreciated by her children and absolutely adored by her grandchildren. She was compassionate, understanding and nearly impossible to offend, gave compliments to strangers, laughed easily and often, she had integrity, and she was a decent human being, exactly what this world needs more of. She accomplished everything that matters. Upon her death, Lynne's grandson, Ryan, took a few moments to make the following entry in the journal in her room at Hospice of Spokane: "8-3-19 Lynne Kinnunen - At 8:36 p.m., our beloved Mema drifted off. She was the matriarch of our family, a fierce lover of her kids and grandkids, and a steady presence in the family our whole lives. She also hated fluffy optimism people use as a departure from reality, and thought obituaries out to tell people what they want to know like how the person died. Mema died of Sh-tty Lung Disease, known in the medical community as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. She wasn't ready to go. She told us she would miss being around. We sure will miss having her around. She was the butt of many jokes, and seemed to love it. Words were as important to her as proper dental care. Mema was fiercely compassionate to the immigrant, the outcast and the underserved. She just wanted everybody to be better. Or more like dogs. Maybe that's the same thing. Her final days came sooner than expected, but they were a gift to us all. We talked about life, love, family and death. We laughed our a--es off and told "that's what she said" jokes around all of her nurses and doctors. And we cried. She ate her favorite pizza, and donuts, and more cooked carrots than she would have liked. But most importantly, we were together. With our mema. We are sad to see her go, but we are so, so grateful to have had her. What a gift. We love you so much, Mema. Forever." Lynne is survived by her two daughters, Susan Schaar and Kathleen (Jeff) Minnerly; stepson, Erick (Tami) Kinnunen; and grandchildren Jeff, Ryan, Katie, Zach, Allison and Brittni. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother, Doug (1992) and granddaughter, Sarah (2011). At her request there will not be a funeral/memorial. Lynne wanted to be remembered with fun, love and laughter, so we will be celebrating her life Sunday, September 1st with karaoke at Studio K, 9:00 pm; karaoke starts at 10, and singing is MANDATORY(ish)! If you wish to honor Lynne, please make donations to or volunteer at SpokAnimal or Hospice of Spokane, and above all else, "No Matter Who, VOTE BLUE in 2020"!! Published by Spokesman-Review on Aug. 18, 2019.