Celebration of Life: Lynne Boher Wall

(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – July 1, 2019) On June 28, 2019, heaven gained an angel. Lynne Wall is dancing in heaven with her sister, father and the many friends and relatives whose lives she touched that preceded her. She left a void on this earth that will be hard to fill, and leaves behind many friends on earth who cherish the legacy of her love and support.

Lynne was a special person who touched many lives with her love, friendship, gifts and time. She was born in Rochester, NY on January 22 (year 1949 she would whisper). Graduated from St Agnes Catholic High School and attended Rochester Business Institute. Her mother passed away while Lynne was still a teen, so Lynne helped raise her baby sister Lorra with school activities, girl scouts, softball and many of life’s ups and downs. For Lorra’s competitive travelling softball team, Lynne was driver, medic, scorekeeper, manager, counselor and mother to many athletes. Lynne worked a variety of positions in Rochester at Ritter Equipment Company, Wilson Health Center and her most fulfilling position at Catholic Family Center Restart Substance Abuse program.

She joined Gates Volunteer Ambulance Service and volunteered as a driver, medic, dispatcher, crew chief, trainer and director. She served for 20 years, earning life membership and was awarded the ambulance’s highest honor, the F. W. Conway award for exemplary service in 1989. She was a tireless volunteer and worked more than 20,000 hours on-duty and many thousands of hours doing the “business” of training and operating the service when not answering emergency calls. She had the hands of a professional and the heart of an angel. She volunteered on holidays to transport hospital patients to and from their homes so they could celebrate. She was “Mom” to the ambulance explorers (kiddie corp as we called them). Her Monday midnight crew of Linda West Tribotte, Mary Louise Allen Pettenski and Lori West Defisher was legendary. One of her proudest moments came when she and the crew delivered a baby on the ambulance while on route to the hospital.

At the Ambulance service, she met the love of her life, Al Wall. They worked side by side and when he joined the Gates Chili Fire Department, she joined the Ladies Auxiliary. They married on September 17, 1988. In 1993, Al’s job with Kodak was transferred to Dallas, she tearfully said good-bye to her many friends and family to start her next adventure down south.

Lynne and Al found a home in Heath, Texas where she supported many charitable causes in the Rockwall area. In 1995, she joined the First United Methodist Church of Heath. She was a teacher, organizer, committee member, crafter, cook, driver, friend for many ministries of the church. If there was a person in need, Lynne was the first to help. She was an instrumental member of the HATS and the Sisters groups. She was a founding director of One Man’s Treasure, a non-profit prison ministry started by Mary Carter, the past Choir Director of the church. For several years, she was a committee member for the Rockwall County Relay for Life. In 2016 she joined the Royse City First United Methodist Church where she contributed meals for JAM, made jams for the Harvest Bazaar, dressed the Altar as a member of the Worship Committee and volunteered 2-3 Saturdays each month at the food pantry, Our Daily Bread.

She was a board member of Lakeside Civic Chorus, worked the box office for Rockwall Summer Musicals and provided props, set pieces and costumes for several theater shows. She organized a large group of season subscribers for Rockwall Community Playhouse and Rockwall Summer Musicals and was a tireless promoter for the performing arts in the surrounding communities.

She did not have any children but “adopted” many as a mother figure. She was embraced by Brian and Melissa Bosworth as an extended family member. She became “Aunt Lynne” for their children Megan Hughes and Corey Bosworth. She picked them up from school, fed them meals, lavished gifts on them and felt the pride of a mother for their many accomplishments. She was God Mother for Jack Freda in Rochester New York, Casey Sloan Mitchell in Rowlett Texas, Hudson and Presley Hughes in Decatur Texas.

Lynne endured many medical issues in her life, but continued to volunteer and support her friends, family and charities. She endured more pain than she deserved, but always showed a big smile and hearty laugh. She was easily recognized in her mobility scooter, driving too fast at times and giving thrill rides to children. She touched many hundreds if not thousands of lives with her charity and leaves a void in our community and among her friends that will be hard to fill.

She is survived by her husband, Al, from Heath Texas and her sister, Lorra from Rochester New York. Passing to heaven before her was her mother Mary Rita Smith Boher, father Martin K. Boher, sister Lisa Boher-Grossi and special Aunt Mary Rene Smith who was a twin of her mother.

A memorial service will be Saturday July 6 at 11am the First United Methodist Church of Heath, 140 Smirl Drive, Heath, TX 75302. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory are requested for the many charities she supported, One Man’s Treasure, First United Methodist Church of Heath, Royse City First United Methodist Church, Rockwall Summer Musicals, or Rockwall County Relay for Life.

Our monthly print edition is delivered free to ~22,000 homes in Rockwall and Heath, TX.