Lynn Susan Werner

REMEMBRANCE

Lynn Susan Werner

1948-2019

Lynn Werner passed in her sleep in the early hours of March 14th. Having lived a full and adventuresome life, her death was peaceful and well supported with family at her side. Born March 1, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York to Clara and Joe Werner, she was the older sister of Shelley. Lynn came to California at the age of 20 after graduating Brooklyn College with her B.A. in Sociology. Heading toward Berkeley in the early 70’s, Lynn was a child of her times. Rejoicing in the freedom she felt being in California, Lynn explored life in its manifold possibilities. Delighting in natural beauty, Lynn found her joy in the journey and exploration from the lowest desert to the highest mountain.

Early in life, she decided life would be better as a mother. And, with the help of Amber's father, Roy, she was, at 24. Settling in San Francisco, Lynn raised her daughter largely as a single mother, giving her all the love and nurturing accorded the incredible being she created. Amber was her love and her light, creating meaning and direction. Lynn became the parent she did not have, even maintaining shared custody for her child’s benefit. Lynn embraced her role, sharing housing and support with other single mothers. The Single Parent Network, a self –help group she established with her longest held friend Vonnell Bettencourt, became a widely acclaimed and stable resource in San Francisco. Through her work and volunteer efforts in human services, Lynn gave loving support and comfort to hundreds of people.

She recalled fondly the exciting days of working together with other parents to create an alternative parent run childcare center, at the time named Yoey Preschool, which became part of San Francisco Unified School District. She and her co-conspirators for early childhood education made decisions through consensus and wore green to align the psychic energy to their goals. Lynn tended to be quiet, but when things got out of hand, she was the one who restored civility. Yoey Preschool, now renamed, Bessie Carmichael, is still serving children, a testament to her and her peers vision and skill.

A psychic told Lynn she would be married by the time she was 35. At 34 she met David. They were married in Tilden Park in 1982, in what Amber described as a “delightfully unpretentious ceremony”. It was officiated by Lynn’s dear friend Vonnell Bettencourt, a Universal Life Minister. What can one say about marriage that lasts to death do us part? Love deepens and expands, creating the best in both. Lynn and David loved to play. Together for long trips and shared passions, they enjoyed life in all its manifestations, from walking on the beach to rafting wild rivers. A trip through the Grand Canyon awakened them to their next phase in life and in 1997 they moved to Sonoma County. A year later they found their dream home in Sebastopol and settled into new careers and a wonderful community of friends.

Other than Amber, Lynn and David raised no other children until Kyle was born to Amber and Simon, her beloved since her Sophomore year in College. Kyle filled that place in David for a child and he was transformed by the relationship. Lynn was equally blessed to have Kyle in her life. They were able to get together at least once or twice a month throughout Kyle’s childhood despite the distance between Sebastopol and Berkeley. This proximity, while not a daily connection, allowed Kyle to be a loving presence in their lives as he grew into the wonderful young man he is today. Lynn’s sister Shelley and her sister’s boyfriend Randy were a great joy to her as well, expanding this small family with an abundance of love.

Family and friends remember Lynn as a Grandma swelling with pride as Kyle met the challenges of life. When he was only 3 years old, she and David took Kyle out in a boat for the first time. With Grandma in the water and lifejacket on, he jumped into the water, safe in the arms of love.

Lynn was an astrologer. Always looking for the meaning of life, she explored many aspects of new thought and metaphysics. Throwing the I Ching, laying the Tarot cards, consulting the stars, Lynn wanted answers for why life was the way it was. It went with her passion to make the world a better place. She wanted to know how to end suffering, starting with her own. She joined spiritual study groups, attended workshops and took classes to grow in self-awareness. When her sister Shelley arrived in Santa Rosa in 2004, she introduced Lynn to the Center for Spiritual living where she shed old beliefs to recreate herself as a powerful presence and Community Steward. Deeply manifesting her connection to life, she touched all she met with love.

Shelley was loved by Lynn. They were best friends in addition to being sisters. Spending lots of time together, they shared a life view and enhanced each other - emotionally and spiritually. Together they took spiritual awareness classes growing in consciousness together. With David and Randy, they enjoyed their family get-togethers and as they grew old together, they transcended their early childhood repairing those experiences with a deep and abiding love.

Being deeply concerned about the environment, Lynn used her efforts and resources to help improve the world. Once working as the Toilet Rebate Queen of San Francisco, in the City’s Water Conservation program, she set up a way to help folks conserve by giving away thousands of low flow toilets at various sites around the City. At City College, the line was so long it threatened the freeway onramp. When one of the trucks carrying hundreds of toilets was delayed by a slight mishap negotiating the steep hills around the give-away site, Lynn stopped a stampede by placing her body between the public and the truck, long enough for authorities to be called.

Lynn also contributed to an environmental sustainability report for the City. Members of the environmental, spiritual and human rights groups she belonged to over the years, will remember Lynn fondly. She used her many talents and abilities to give her all for the causes she embraced. In later life, her goal was to be a beacon of love in the world. Eschewing the long held strategy of protesting what’s wrong with the world, she came to see the good everywhere and in everyone. She spoke inspirationally to hundreds of people who were empowered by her belief in them. She truly cherished all of life and was particularly touched by those motivated to change their lives. Those to whom she gave her love, her time and her talent, will carry forward the good she did.

Lynn is survived by her husband, David, daughter Amber, sister Shelley, grandson Kyle, son-in-law Simon, Shelley’s partner Randy, and numerous friends both young and old. Though her body is no longer with us, she will always remain in our hearts. A private celebration of Lynn’s life will be held at Santa Rosa Center for Spiritual Living on April 20, 2019. Contributions may be made in Lynn’s memory to Greenpeace or the Sonoma County Folk Society.