Johanna “Josie” Lynch

April 16, 1933- May 5, 2026

JOHANNA LYNCH

Johanna, “Josie” (Kennedy) Lynch, 93, died Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in her home in Basking Ridge, NJ, surrounded by several of her children and grandchildren. Her life can be summed up as one of love, faith, hard work, courage, service, and loyalty to friends and family.

Josie was born in Kilbride, Kilkenny, Ireland, on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1933. At the young age of 20, she immigrated to the United States. She settled in Newark, NJ, living with her sister Bridie and her husband, Jimmy Harkin, and their family until 1954, when she married fellow Irish immigrant, Michael Lynch. She and Michael raised their family of 10 children in Newark. Her children, and later her grand and great- grandchildren, were the center of her life. 

With 10 children, she knew how to stretch a dollar, making her children’s clothing, darning socks, and knitting sweaters. Irish soda bread was not just for St. Patrick’s Day, but was a frequent dinner table staple along with mashed potatoes and well done meat and vegetables.

Her Catholic faith was important to her, she was an active parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Newark, and later, in her retirement in Brick, attended daily Mass  at St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church. After moving to Basking Ridge she attended Mass at Sacred Heart Chapel in Bernardsville.

She returned to the workforce as her children got older, working for Hahne and Company, and later, for many years at the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, retiring in 1996.  She and Michael moved to Brick, NJ in 1996, where she volunteered many hours at St. Vincent de Paul and tallied the weekly church collection.  After Michael’s death, she moved to Basking Ridge.  In recent years, Josie received loving care from her children, especially daughters Margaret and Noeleen. Josie touched the lives of many people with her loving compassion; she was a true friend.

She was predeceased by her youngest son, Patrick in 1982, and her beloved husband, Michael in 2004, her siblings Martin, Dick, Jim, John, Ned, Pat, Bridie, Peggy, and Alice.  She is survived by her children: Mary Ann and her husband, Gregg Ginn, of Cape Elizabeth, ME; Michael of Mt.Bethel PA; Eileen and her husband, Jim Sharp, of Newton, NJ;  Patricia and her husband, Michael Burke, of Rochester, MN; Noeleen and her husband, Sydney Smith, of Bloomfield, NJ; Kevin and his wife, Eva, of Belleville,NJ; Jerry and his wife, Kathleen, of Winston Salem, NC; Joseph and his wife, Flora, of East Brunswick, NJ; and Margaret and her husband, Dennis Milton, of Basking Ridge, NJ. She is survived by 21 grandchildren, spread across the globe from Australia to England, and 15 great- grandchildren.  She is also survived by her sister, Mary Murphy, 101, of Waterford Ireland, and many other nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 S. Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 on Thursday, May 7, 2026 from 4:00 – 7:00pm. Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 111 Claremont Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924 at 10:00am. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tunnel to Towers or St. Jude’s.