Charles Lynn Jenks passed away peacefully on August 4th surrounded by family, friends and care givers. He was 95.

Lynn (as he was fondly called) was born in Monmouth, IL on October 2nd, 1929, to Clifford and Ruth Jenks. He was the youngest of 8 children and is preceded in death by his parents, his siblings – Kenneth, John, Russell, Harlan, Loren, Robert and Alice – his beloved wife Margaret (Marg) and his cherished daughter Alison (Von Lackum). He is survived by his son Brian (Liz) and grandchildren Evan (Celine), Brian and Sophie, as well as many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews.

Lynn was raised on a Midwest farm and after graduating from Monmouth College, he served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War.

Lynn married Margaret McCarry (from Coonamble NSW Australia) in 1955. Lynn and Marg had a long and happy marriage and lovingly raised two children, Alison and Brian. Although he was born and raised in Illinois, he chose Northern California as his forever home, living in towns that stretched from Eureka to Fairfax, Stinson Beach and finally Sonoma.

In addition to being a devoted husband and father, Lynn dedicated his life to education and critical thinking through careers as a High School Guidance Counselor to College Professor in Systems Thinking. He authored numerous textbooks; he was instrumental in crafting classroom strategies at the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development and was a regular guest at the Asilomar Conference. After retiring to Stinson Beach, Lynn became very involved with the renovation and restoration of the Stinson Beach Library. An avid reader, he was a big proponent of books and expanding the mind in general, through reading and education.

Lynn was also an avid golfer and played some of the most beautiful courses in the world. He loved the outdoors and traveled extensively, backpacking with The Sierra Club, train rides throughout Europe and exploring Australia and Mexico on several occasions. He supported nonprofits and donated his time and money to those in need. And rounding out his interests was his love of music, especially jazz music. He played the piano and loved going to concerts and watching musicals. In fact, he watched and listened to his favorites every evening on loop in his apartment.

Lynn will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, father-in-law, friend, neighbor and world citizen - an intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, interesting (and interested) human with sharp wit and an insatiable curiosity. He was humble with a heart of gold and made an important and lasting impact on every life he touched. He was an incredible role model and has left this world a better place. Needless to say, he will be sorely missed.

The family will gather to remember Lynn privately and asks that donations be made to either The Sierra Club or to Scholarship America｜Eliminating Barriers to Education. 

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