Burfeind, Lynne Oliver, 71, of Hartford, CT, died peacefully on Friday, November 8, 2013. She was predeceased by her husband, Alfred C. Burfeind, and her parents, Spencer J. Oliver and Albina C. Oliver. She is survived by her two sons and their families: Paul and his wife, Jodi, and son, Harlen, of Greenwood Lake, NY; and Matthew and his wife Jennifer, and sons, Samuel and Joshua, of Boston, MA. She is also survived by her sister, Leslie M. Oliver, of Piscataway NJ, as well as nine nieces and nephews and their families.
Born in Plainfield, NJ, Lynne lived in New Jersey and Florida as a child, attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, married her high-school sweetheart, and moved to Hartford in 1964. Lynne taught elementary vocal music in Southington, CT for three years before the birth of her children, and then shifted her focus to parenthood and volunteerism. She became a member of the League of Women Voters, which she eventually served as President, and was elected to the Board of the Hartford Public Library, on which she served for 33 years. She also served on the boards of several organizations, including the Capitol Region Library Council, sang with the Hartford Chorale for 17 years, was a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut Music Commission, and was very active in her church. In the mid-1970s she began a second career in the Career Education Department of the West Hartford Public Schools, from which she retired in 2001. A Type 1 diabetic from the age of 19, Lynne fought her disease bravely for over 50 years. In 2012, she moved to long-term care in Brookline, MA, to be closer to her grandchildren in her final years.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at the Trinity College Chapel, 300 Summit St. Hartford, CT 06106. Please contact the Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home for more information, at 617-323-5600 or
http://www.lawlerfuneralhome.com/.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312
(http://www.diabetes.org/donate/).