Lynne Allison Birdsall

Lynne Allison Birdsall was freed from the pain of pancreatic cancer and the fog of the medications used to quell that pain at her home in Craftsbury, Vermont the evening of September 20, 2025 with her husband Ryk Loske at home with her.

Lynne was born January 26, 1954 in Canandaigua, NY the third of three children to William and Geraldine Birdsall  The family soon moved to North Syracuse, NY where she attended school.  With both a father and a grandfather who graduated Union College, Lynne declared at an early age that she would too, undeterred by the fact that Union was an all male school.  Lynne was in the first freshman class of women at Union.

While in high school, Lynne decided she would apply for the Exchange Student program without telling Bill and Jerry.  Everybody was surprised, especially Bill and Jerry, when she was accepted and went to spend a year in Australia with a family she remained close to for the rest of her life.  Travel remained important to Lynne.  While at Union she spent a term in Germany and used that opportunity to travel in Europe.

Upon graduation, Lynne became interested in college administration.  She started that career at Union, went on to similar work at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Berklee College of Music, Boston University and New Hampshire Technical Institute which was her all time favorite position because of the broad spectrum of students involved.  One of the perks of those positions was international travel which included Japan and China as well as Europe. At one point her backpack became too dusty so she took a year off to wander the islands of the South Pacific.  Other travels included more of Europe, Egypt and South Africa.  More recently Lynne and Ryk have traveled frequently to County Clare in Ireland to stay with a dear friend there to live the life of the Irish.

Music was central to Lynne's life.  She could sight read music at a high level at an early age, was active in choral work and became accomplished on the French horn.  Ryk introduced her to the mandolin and following a week at the Ashokan Center where she took a "Fiddle from Scratch" class she threw herself into a study of violin and fiddle.  Along with friend John Ceraso and Ryk she became the girl singer in Sentimental Journey doing popular early 20th century tunes at assisted living centers and nursing homes.

She loved and cherished friends and family beyond measure.

No service is planned.  If you knew her you know what you two would have done together, go and do it in love in her memory.

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