In Loving Memory of Lynne Wall
On June 28, 2019, One Man’s Treasure lost a wonderful friend and one of its founding board members, Lynne Boher Wall. Lynne and her husband Al moved from Rochester, N.Y. to Heath in 1993, where she continued to express her love of service to others that had guided her life in Rochester. In addition to One Man’s Treasure, she was active in First United Methodist Church of Heath and Royse City First United Methodist Church, Rockwall County Relay for Life, Lakeside Civic Chorus and Rockwall Summer Musicals to name a few.
Lynne became friends with Mary Carter, One Man’s Treasure’s founder, before it was formed. Through that friendship she embraced the belief that men who were incarcerated were loved children of God who needed to come to hear that message and deserved to have a second chance when they returned to society.
Lynne supported Mary’s involvement in Kairos Prison Ministry, made cookies for the Kairos weekend, wrote letters to some of the men who didn’t get much mail, and helped make costumes for the Beto Prison Christmas play. The play was canceled due to lockdown, but she cherished the thank you notes from the inmates and would read them again and again.
When Mary started talking about forming a new ministry to help provide decent clothing to men who were returning home after years of incarceration, she was right there with encouragement and help. She was one of the founders of One Man’s Treasure, served on the Board until last year and served as its secretary for most of those years. But her imprint on this ministry did not stop with Board service. When the clothes closet was in a very small space, there were designated closets in her home for out-of-season clothes for the men. For the fall coat drive, she would be in the line of vans to pick up excess clothes and coats to go to a downtown charity. She was a cashier for the garage sales. When her disability became worse, she would still be available to drive anywhere to pick up clothes. She made yummy cucumber sandwiches for our boat ride even though she couldn't attend. She donated items for our fundraisers and would search for sales on winter coats at the end of the season. As Mary said, “I cannot remember a time when Lynne told me "No."
As we reflect on the life of this dear member of One Man’s Treasure’s family, we are reminded of the starfish story that helped give birth to our mission and how Lynne, like the little boy on the beach in that story, could say “I made a difference to that one.” literally thousands of times. On June 28th, we are sure that Lynne Boher Wall was welcomed into heaven with a chorus of “well done, good and faithful servant.” Prayers for Al, Lynne’s sister Lorra, and all who called her friend. She will be missed!
A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church of Heath on Saturday, July 6, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in her memory to 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. More about Lynne’s life can be found at www.resthavenfuneral.com/obituaries/Lynne-Wall
