Scottdale man dedicated to family, Penn Line Service career
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When people thought about Penn Line Service, they frequently thought about Franklin Lynn, according to his daughter, Jeanne Kiss of Greensburg.
“That’s what he did,” Kiss said.
Mr. Lynn worked nearly six decades for the Scottdale company, starting in 1953 and working his way to management and later becoming a major stockholder in the company. His work ethic and loyalty to a company he believed in is a trait his children have adopted as well: all three have spent nearly four decades working at their respective jobs, with son David following in his father’s footsteps.
“I followed him in my career the whole way through,” Lynn said. “When he retired in 2012, I took his position, and now I’m president of the company.”
Franklin Delano Lynn of Scottdale died Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. He was 85.
Mr. Lynn was born July 16, 1934, in Everett, a son of the late Edgar and Bernice (Brallier) Lynn. He was named in honor of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and when his parents wrote FDR a letter letting him know, they received a reply which is still in the family’s possession.
The family moved to Scottdale when Mr. Lynn was a young boy and he graduated from Scottdale High School in 1953. That summer, he worked odd jobs as a paperboy, carrying shoppers’ packages at the American grocery store in Scottdale, riding a streetcar to Mt. Pleasant to make bank deposits for a local business and traveling to Pittsburgh to bring cases of soda back for a local beer distributor.
His children fondly recall trips and vacations, particularly the family’s Sunday ritual.
“We had the routine: go to church, and then go somewhere as a family,” Kiss said. “We’d go to our grandparents for a meal, to Ohiopyle, to Idlewild, we did all kinds of things.”
The family’s trips were often focused on the outdoors.
“Every Sunday, we’d go to the woods somewhere,” Lynn said. “We always went hiking as a family. Ohiopyle was the big area, and we also had a place up in Port Allegany where we’d go.”
When he wasn’t hiking at Port Allegany, Mr. Lynn was often indulging his love for hunting.
“He was really into turkey hunting, so spring turkey (season) was his thing,” Lynn said. “He was a turkey-calling professional. He called them in for a lot of guys over the years.”
Mr. Lynn was a member of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Scottdale, the Scottdale Fireman’s Club and the Brookman-Hernley VFW Post 7781.
“He was a very big family man,” Lynn said. “He always tried to do what was right.”
Mr. Lynn is survived by his wife Lois (Watson) Lynn, whom he married Feb. 26, 1955; their three children, Frank Lynn Jr., Jeanne Kiss and David Lynn; four grandchildren, Patrick, David Jr., Danielle, and Megan; his sister, Mary Knopsnyder; and his brother, Edgar Lynn.
Family and friends will be received from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Robert Ferguson Funeral Home, 105 Spring St., Scottdale.
Memorial donations can be made to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 600 Mulberry St., Scottdale, Pa., 15683.