Lynn Coleman Gayner Zoll
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Lynn's obituary
Lynn Coleman Gayner Zoll
December 8, 1942 - February 29, 2024
Lynn was born December 8, 1942 in Streator, Illionios, to parents John T. "Jack" Gayner and Emma Mae "Mae" Bisson. She grew up in Salem, New Jersey, with brothers Mike and Tom; she attended Salem High School in Salem, NJ, Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, as well as Woodstown Friends Meeting with her family. She had friends from all three, whom, along with other meaningful connections she made, she kept in touch with and loved her whole life. She passed away peacefully at home on the Leap Year Day.
Lynn was incredibly intelligent, kind, and adventurous, a barrel racer and an animal lover, and had many pets and horses, including "Fussy Lady," apt for a spiteful little pony, and an 18-hand behemoth named "Dockey," the subject of several funny family memories. She was enviably smart, a gifted writer, a musician, a dance instructor, a dedicated mother, and was a life-long volunteer. She lent her talents, warmth, and enthusiasm to many occupations, including voice-over and facilitating, and to numerous community organizations over the years. And, of course most of all, loved being a "Grammy." Deserving of its own mention, her sense of humor was legendary!
She married and raised her children in Annandale, Virginia. She joined St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, drawn to the music program there, and chaperoned and volunteered tirelessly both there and in Fairfax County schools. She particularly loved the beautiful parts of the state, and lived in the Richmond and Roanoke areas before moving to West Virginia, where she got to "live on top of a mountain" for a stint! She moved to the Virginia Beach area which she also really enjoyed, before relocating to Austin, Texas. She spent the last couple decades in Austin, with visits back and forth to Colorado, to be near her kids and grandchildren.
Lynn was active in giving to her community in various ways her whole life, and she inspired this in her children and others around her. From crisis hotlines to shelters to veterans, she always devoted her passionate energy, time, and resources to those in need. Lynn also dealt with two traumatic brain injuries in her lifetime, which involved an array of mental and physical complications that our limited knowledge of the brain makes it difficult to understand. She overcame many personal challenges while also continuing to advocate for others. She became particularly passionate about brain injury patient advocacy, and was named Virginia's Brain Injury Services Volunteer of the Year in 2005. Just this March 5-6, 2024, she was slated to testify before Congress in Washington DC, regarding extending the Traumatic Brain Injury Act. If she were still here, those of you who knew her will understand, she would have made it there!
Lynn is survived by her daughter, Marrit Zoll, her son Mitchell (Stacey) Zoll, her grandchildren Anderson, Harper, and Liam, brother Tom (Susan) Gayner, sister-in-law Dana Gayner, cousins Judy Hopman, Alan Hopman, Barbara Pierce, and Kathleen Pierce. She adored her nieces, nephews, and many, amazing and lifelong friends. She was preceded in death by her brother Mike Gayner.
Instead of flowers, Lynn would love to know that donations were made in her name to victims of abuse, domestic violence, and to womens' shelters. She would also love to know that awareness was spread regarding the TBI act, and would be honored by those of you able to highlight the importance of extending it.
Austin's SAFE:
The SAFE Alliance is a merger of Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace, both long-standing and respected human service agencies in Austin serving the survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence
Traumatic Brain Injury - H.R. 7208 - March 2024
You can find out about the recently introduced H.R. 7208, the bipartisan Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act, here:
https://www.biausa.org/public…
The hearings were just held March 5-6. 2024.
You can still get involved in the letter writing campaign to support this important effort here:
https://www.biausa.org/get-in…
Click here to find out more about Brain Injury Awareness of America:
https://www.biausa.org/get-in…
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