Madison Village government leaders are remembering Jeffrey Lynn for his accomplishments as a business owner, as well as the role he played during many funerals for the community’s military veterans.
Village Council, at its Sept. 13 meeting, approved a resolution to recognize and honor Lynn, who died Sept. 3. Lynn, 64, died at Cleveland Clinic while in hospice care, according to his obituary.
For more than 47 years, Lynn owned and operated Penguin Mechanical, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning contracting business that was based on West Main Street in the village. His father, Williard, started the family business in 1956, and Lynn took over the enterprise in 1974, “when he officially became Mr. Penguin,” his obituary states.
In addition, Lynn served as commander of the Sons of American Legion Jay Wilson Post 112 in Madison Village. He was a lifetime member of Post 112 and at American Legion Post 601 in Madison Township.
Through his affiliation with the legion, Lynn started and directed the Madison Community Funeral Team. The unit, which consists of members from American Legion Posts 112 and 601 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8548 in Madison Township, performs military honors at funerals of veterans who lived in the Madison area.
Over the years, Lynn and the team have conducted military honors ceremonies at about 1,200 funerals, his obituary noted.
One part of performing military honors is for a member of the presiding unit to present the American flag to the deceased veteran’s next of kin. Lynn was very meticulous in performing that duty, said Madison Mayor Sam Britton, who also works as a funeral assistant at the Behm Family Funeral Home in the village.
“You’ve never seen anybody take more pride in folding that flag than Jeff Lynn did,” Britton said.
The resolution approved by council also stated that Lynn impacted the Madison area with “his gracious heart, positive attitude and camaraderie.”
“He helped everybody out in the community as much as he could,” Britton said. “Jeff will be definitely missed, that’s for sure, and the village offers its condolences to his wife, Kathy.”
