Obituary for Lynn Meads
Lynn Andriette Meads
Lynn Meads passed away on Friday, December 11th 2020. She went peacefully, surrounded by family. Until her recent illness, Lynn resided with her husband, Jack Meads at Down Manor in Hood River. Lynn and Jack were married on February 20, 2016. They were still very much in love. They had many friends at Down Manor and at Spirit of Grace Church in Hood River where Lynn sang in the choir.
Lynn was born in New York City on January 23rd, 1941. Her father, Allen Andriette, was a first-generation Italian immigrant. His given name was Sylviol Andrietti. The family changed their names to sound more American, as many did at that time. Her mother, Henrietta Thompson Andriette, was a proud Daughter of the American Revolution, with roots going back to the Mayflower. Her parents were both educated. Her father had an economics degree and worked in the corporate office of the Marshall Fields Company. Her mother was a librarian.
Lynn is survived by her two younger sisters, Sally Andriette and Susan Ariew. She is also survived by her two sons, Stephen White and Louis Grossman, daughter-in-law Robin Levine, and six grandchildren: Dana White, Dalton White, August Levine, Miriam Levine, Theo Levine and Clara Levine.
Lynn’s family moved from New York to Chicago when she was a young child. She grew up in Maywood, Illinois. Lynn graduated from Proviso High School in Maywood where she became a swim instructor and lifeguard. During her 20’s, she lived for a time in Los Angeles. She studied social work for a period in college, with the goal of helping others suffering from mental illness.
She married Joseph Grossman in 1974. The two moved with their son Louis to Wisconsin and then to Spokane, Washington in 1979. They ended up in the small town of Deer Park, Washington in 1980 where they built a life together. Joseph became lab director at a small hospital and Lynn worked as an administrative assistant for a USDA office. She later left that job and started her own business, Second Hand Rose, a consignment clothing store. The couple bought a brand-new home and were able to send their son to private school and on to college.
Lynn sold her business and separated from Joseph around 2004. She moved to the Columbia Gorge area to be closer to family in 2007.
During her retirement years, Lynn was an avid volunteer. She volunteered at a White Salmon elementary school helping ESL children learn to read, and delivered meals for Meals on Wheels, among other things. In 2012 she received an award for White Salmon Volunteer of the Year for which she was very proud.
It was during this time that she met Jack Meads. They started riding together to deliver for Meals on Wheels and before long Jack was asking her out on dates. They were a couple for several years before getting married in 2016. They had a short but full marriage, taking trips to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe. They enjoyed life and each other.
In 2016, Lynn was reunited with her son Stephen White. Due to difficulties in her life when she was younger, she was forced to give Stephen up for adoption. She always knew Steve was out there, but did not know how to go about finding him. In 2016, Steve found her. Lynn was able to reunite with her son over 50 years after being separated from him. Steve traveled to Oregon from North Carolina to meet Lynn and her family and later Lynn flew to North Carolina to meet her two grandchildren for the first time.
Lynn was a Christian and tried to live her life according to the example set by Jesus Christ. She was a proud democrat, and believed we had a responsibility to help the less fortunate and protect the rights of minorities. She loved animals and adopted many cats and dogs over the years. She enjoyed swimming and being in nature and felt strongly about protecting the environment for future generations. Lynn became an advocate for the rights of LGBT people and argued for their inclusion as ministers in the Methodist Church. She tried hard to be supportive of her transgender grandchild Theo.
Lynn loved art, literature and poetry and wrote many poems. She dreamed about one day getting published and becoming a famous poet.
Lynn overcame many obstacles and touched many people. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She is missed by many.
Lynn Meads passed away on Friday, December 11th 2020. She went peacefully, surrounded by family. Until her recent illness, Lynn resided with her husband, Jack Meads at Down Manor in Hood River. Lynn and Jack were married on February 20, 2016. They were still very much in love. They had many friends at Down Manor and at Spirit of Grace Church in Hood River where Lynn sang in the choir.
Lynn was born in New York City on January 23rd, 1941. Her father, Allen Andriette, was a first-generation Italian immigrant. His given name was Sylviol Andrietti. The family changed their names to sound more American, as many did at that time. Her mother, Henrietta Thompson Andriette, was a proud Daughter of the American Revolution, with roots going back to the Mayflower. Her parents were both educated. Her father had an economics degree and worked in the corporate office of the Marshall Fields Company. Her mother was a librarian.
Lynn is survived by her two younger sisters, Sally Andriette and Susan Ariew. She is also survived by her two sons, Stephen White and Louis Grossman, daughter-in-law Robin Levine, and six grandchildren: Dana White, Dalton White, August Levine, Miriam Levine, Theo Levine and Clara Levine.
Lynn’s family moved from New York to Chicago when she was a young child. She grew up in Maywood, Illinois. Lynn graduated from Proviso High School in Maywood where she became a swim instructor and lifeguard. During her 20’s, she lived for a time in Los Angeles. She studied social work for a period in college, with the goal of helping others suffering from mental illness.
She married Joseph Grossman in 1974. The two moved with their son Louis to Wisconsin and then to Spokane, Washington in 1979. They ended up in the small town of Deer Park, Washington in 1980 where they built a life together. Joseph became lab director at a small hospital and Lynn worked as an administrative assistant for a USDA office. She later left that job and started her own business, Second Hand Rose, a consignment clothing store. The couple bought a brand-new home and were able to send their son to private school and on to college.
Lynn sold her business and separated from Joseph around 2004. She moved to the Columbia Gorge area to be closer to family in 2007.
During her retirement years, Lynn was an avid volunteer. She volunteered at a White Salmon elementary school helping ESL children learn to read, and delivered meals for Meals on Wheels, among other things. In 2012 she received an award for White Salmon Volunteer of the Year for which she was very proud.
It was during this time that she met Jack Meads. They started riding together to deliver for Meals on Wheels and before long Jack was asking her out on dates. They were a couple for several years before getting married in 2016. They had a short but full marriage, taking trips to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe. They enjoyed life and each other.
In 2016, Lynn was reunited with her son Stephen White. Due to difficulties in her life when she was younger, she was forced to give Stephen up for adoption. She always knew Steve was out there, but did not know how to go about finding him. In 2016, Steve found her. Lynn was able to reunite with her son over 50 years after being separated from him. Steve traveled to Oregon from North Carolina to meet Lynn and her family and later Lynn flew to North Carolina to meet her two grandchildren for the first time.
Lynn was a Christian and tried to live her life according to the example set by Jesus Christ. She was a proud democrat, and believed we had a responsibility to help the less fortunate and protect the rights of minorities. She loved animals and adopted many cats and dogs over the years. She enjoyed swimming and being in nature and felt strongly about protecting the environment for future generations. Lynn became an advocate for the rights of LGBT people and argued for their inclusion as ministers in the Methodist Church. She tried hard to be supportive of her transgender grandchild Theo.
Lynn loved art, literature and poetry and wrote many poems. She dreamed about one day getting published and becoming a famous poet.
Lynn overcame many obstacles and touched many people. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She is missed by many.