Their life story reads like a fairytale. Their charitable legacy at The Community Foundation will have no ending.
The late Frances and Hal Lynch met in Hawai‘i in 1951. Frances Antoinette Leimamo Thompson was a native. Her mother grew up surfing on Waikiki Beach with Duke Kahanamoku, known as the “father of surfing.” Frances’s grandfather was the attorney general for King Kalākaua, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. She and her family were on the other side of the island when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. As a child, she and her two siblings had gas mask drills in school after the attack, not knowing if the Japanese would strike again. Later in life, she took to the skies herself as a private pilot.
Hal L. Lynch Jr. was in Hawai‘i through the Coast Guard. He was from Jacksonville, the son of Hal Lynch Sr., who owned North Florida Lincoln Mercury. Hal Jr. took the reins in 1964. Over the coming decades, the business expanded to new locations and diversified into campers and car rentals. With his brother, Larry, Hal helped operate a cattle ranch in Shady Dale, Georgia. He served many years on the Board of Directors of Ameris Bank, a NYSE company.
Together, Frances and Hal led lives that were filled with faith, family, and fun. They raised four children, were active in the community, and hosted festive gatherings, where Frances would sing, hula dance, and play the ukelele, often with their oldest son, Hal III, whose love of the performing arts inspired their gift to the Lynch Theatre at Bolles School.
“While Frances had by far the more melodious voice, Hal always sang along with abundant gusto,” read Hal’s obituary.
Giving back was central to their role in the community. They came to The Community Foundation through a friendship with Delia and Tom McGehee, one of the co-founders of The Community Foundation. Hal admired Tom, and he fashioned his philanthropy in that mold.
Their endowed designated fund, the Frances T. and Hal L. Lynch Jr. Charitable Fund, provides annual support to the Exchange Club, a service organization that supports families for the purpose of preventing child abuse, and Bolles School, where Hal served on the Board of Trustees for many years.
“Like many people, he gave personally,” Bill Lynch said. “He also made it a point that the businesses would give back to the community, as well.”
Frances passed away in 2017; Hal in 2025. They are survived by their four children, Hal Lynch III, Helen Cooper, Bill Lynch, and Bob Lynch.
They were the kind of people who thanked their caregivers in their obituaries and gave anonymously during their lifetimes. Today, their fund continues to give back in their names, as it will in perpetuity.
“Mom and Dad would be very humbled and honored about this feature, as are my siblings and me,” Bob said.
This article was originally published in our 2025 Annual Report to the Community. Read the full report.