Verna M. Lynch May 14, 1925 August 23, 2012 Portland - Verna Mae Lynch (Croft) of Portland died peacefully on August 23 after a short illness. She was born on May 14, 1925, in Salem Massachusetts, the daughter of Walter and Flora Hennigar Croft. She grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, the oldest of 5 children - the only blue-eyed, fair-haired one of the bunch. She met her husband, James Lynch, on Cape Cod and married him in August of 1944. Verna and Jim criss-crossed the country numerous times during his time in the Navy - from Massachusetts to Connecticut, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, California, Florida, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Maine. She had many places she called ""home"" during those years. Verna's primary focus was her family. But, always an active and involved person, she worked at the Navy Exchange in Brunswick, and for the state of Maine for a time, and used her business school skills wherever she went. While living in St. Augustine, Florida she and Jim were Literacy Volunteers, something from which she got great pleasure. In St. Augustine she also worked for a health education consortium doing health workshops across the state of Florida. Verna always attended the Hennigar family reunions wherever they were held. They brought her to places such as Toronto, Mexico, Vermont, Nova Scotia, Wyoming, and most recently the coast of Maine. She loved seeing her extended family and enjoyed being part of all of the activities. Since settling in Maine for the past few years, she had, as always, made many new friends, and had been able to spend much more time with most of her children. She was pre-deceased by her husband of 55 years, James J. Lynch. She is survived by her sisters Irene Kingsley of Pahrump, Nevada, Mary Welsh of Peabody, MA, Bob Croft of Peabody, MA, David Croft of Cape Cod, MA, her son Rick Lynch and his wife Sheila Jepson of Portland, Jann Minzy of Waldoboro, Tim Lynch and his fiancee Judy of Parsonsfield, Terry Lynch and his wife Shannon of Jacksonville, FL., fourteen grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 10 - 11am on Sunday, August 26, 2012, with a memorial service to follow at 11 at A.T. Hutchins, LLC Funeral Home, 660 Brighton Ave, Portland. To offer words of condolence and share memories with the family, please go to the obituaries section at www.athutchins.com.