Lynda Jean Clinton

Lynda Jean Clinton passed away on Sunday, October 30, 2022, at Salemhaven Nursing Home.  Lynda was born on June 30, 1938, at Lake Placid General Hospital in Lake Placid, NY.  She was one of four children to Leslie Lewis and Grace (George) Lewis.

Lynda graduated from Lake Placid High School in 1956 and then went on to complete a Degree Program in English at Potsdam State University.  Lynda spent the following 40 years teaching English to middle school age children.  The majority of those teaching years were conducted in (then) Tenney Middle School, Methuen, Mass, while living and raising her son with her husband in Salem, NH.  After her retirement, Lynda spent time at her family lake house on Winnipesaukee and later at her home in Atkinson, NH.  This period of her life consisted mostly of reading books and recovering from those years teaching eighth graders.  She was often known to her students as “Big Red” due to her unwillingness to back-down from any student’s attempts to challenge the classroom order and her distinctive hair style/color choice – a persona that she embraced and used to her advantage when needed.   

Lynda was a devoted and loving wife to her husband, Thomas Clinton, for 46 years until he passed in 2014.  Lynda and Tom loved to spend time with family and friends, where they would insist on cooking large meals and generally entertaining guests with libations.  Lynda also enjoyed various hobbies and activities, such as crafting and relentlessly re-decorating her house.  With each major seasonal change or holiday, there was a new decorative theme.  One was never left to guess what time of the year it was at Lynda’s house.

Lynda is survived by her son, Timothy; her daughter-in-law, Ellen Olafsen; precious granddaughter, Nora; and a sister, Marilyn, living in the Tidewater area of Virginia.  She also leaves behind several cousins, nieces, and nephews from multiple generations across the country, as well as a gaggle of friends from around Merrimack Valley.  

Family and friends will miss Lynda dearly, and fondly remember the loving, open, and warm welcome everyone received when visiting.   If you have the inclination, please raise a small toast and smile to congratulate her from graduating this life and reuniting with her beloved husband in the next. 

ARRANGEMENTS: At her request, no formal services will be held. A small private burial will take place at the family’s convenience in the New Hampshire State Veterans’ Cemetery in Boscawen with a celebration of Big Red’s life to follow.