Wife, mother, chief executive officer. Born Aug. 31, 1951, in Orillia, Ont. Died Nov. 22, 2010, in Toronto of pulmonary failure, aged 59.
Lynn Price, the middle of five children, was raised in Orillia, Ont. Her mother, Dorothy, and father, John, both worked for the town's biggest employer - Huronia Regional Centre, an institution for people with intellectual disabilities. It seemed only natural that Lynn's summer job at the facility led her to acquire a bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure studies.
After graduating, Lynn started working full-time at the centre, which led to her lifelong career in the field of developmental disabilities. She worked with the Ministry of Community and Social Services and completed a master's degree in adult education. In 1993, she became chief executive officer of the Barrie & District Association for People with Special Needs (now called Simcoe Community Services). Lynn's dedication, patience and leadership were well known locally and provincially.
Lynn married Mike Price in 1974 and became his "guiding light." They had two children, Jonathon and Lauren. Lynn was always the motherly big sister to her younger siblings, and her home was the place the whole family gathered for special occasions.
In 2008, Lynn's health began to fail and she was unable to leave her house because of her need for oxygen. That fall, her name was put on the list for a lung transplant. It never occurred to her to stop working or caring for others. During a summer week in 2009, Mike suffered a minor heart attack, her father died and Lauren got married at home. Lynn handled everything with her usual good grace, putting everyone else's needs first.
Lynn continued to lead Simcoe Community Services from her home via video conference. Her passion for work never lapsed. One of her last visions for the agency was realized with the grand opening last August of an accessible, centrally located site in Orillia providing specialized day services for adults with intellectual disabilities. Since Lynn was in hospital, staff members texted photos from the event to her.
Lynn was hospitalized last July to await a lung transplant. She continued to text senior staff to stay in touch with the agency, always optimistic that she would return to work. During that time, an employee's son died tragically. Regardless of her own rapidly deteriorating health, Lynn sent a handwritten sympathy card to the family.
Sadly, she never received the call for a lung transplant. She died with so many things accomplished for those she loved and whose lives she touched. At the same time, there were so many things not yet done, as her passing happened so prematurely.
At her funeral, Jonathon said, "There are so many of you here, it seems like she gave everything to her career. To us, it seemed like she gave everything to us."
No one knew how she did it.
By Reet Skelton, Lynn's colleague.