COMMENTARY ON THE DEATH OF SISTER ROSEMARY LYNCH

Since the death of Sister Rosemary Lynch several publications have written lengthy and laudatory reports about her life.

For over 25 years I filed copy for the Religious News Service. That time span included the 70-80's hey day of Nevada Test Site protests. It seemed that on a non stop basis I was writing about Martin Sheen and Rosemary Lynch. I always felt, and still do, that Martin Sheen was totally and completely sincere. There were many times when Sheen put his career on the line for his beliefs. That is to be admired and respected. Many times I thought Lynch was showboating. She knew how to play to a camera and a microphone.

I have been assured by several people that Lynch was deeply sincere in her beliefs against testing nuclear weapons.

For wht seemed like an eternity, Lynch and her companion were my next door neighbors.

During their tenure as neighbors, I sucked up the leaves from their front lawn with my leaf blower; had them over for Christmas tea, and brought them back religious souvenirs from New York City when a group of cardinals were being honored at St. Patrick's.

Lynch was overbearing, manipulative, a dispenser of questionable and odd "health" practices which included conducting enema parties, a deceptive liar who caused me legal problems and an annoyance.

While all nuns are sisters, not all sisters are nuns and Rosemary Lynch was no nun - although by the use of the world "sister" she knew the assumption that she had taken strict vows and lived under enforced religious rules, gave her words an aura of honesty. The 'no nun would lie theory'.

It was her work with immigrants relocating to Las Vegas that cause me legal problems. In one of her all too frequent knocks on my door she said she was going door to door and I was her first visit. She intended to ask each household to monthly donate $30 to an immigrant family new to the neighborhood, so that they could have health insurance. Since I couldn't afford to buy my own health insurance, I wasn't keen on providing money so that a stranger could be covered, when I didn't receive all of the medical care I needed.

Lynch and her companion "sister" conferred that perhaps the door-to-door solicitation plan wasn't a good idea and stopped. But the purported woman of God used me as the scapegoat and told the immigrant family that because of me - Laura Deni - they would not be able to have health insurance. The family believed her because they remained bare of health insurance until it was obtained through entitled employment benefits.

Later in a legal situation I was actually questioned about whether when the good sisters came calling I had refused to provide $30 a month for health insurance for a needy family. Never mind that I didn't receive all of the medical care I needed. Never mind that I couldn't afford my own health insurance. I was insulted, berated, lambasted, criticized for not giving money I didn't have, to a family I didn't know, for a service I also needed.

I don't care if you're a Jewish women in a red dress or a Catholic sister in or out of a black habit, you don't distort what happened, lie, use others as the fall guy, create an inability to be employed and think you're above it all. ( See Commentary )

Lynch professed peace unless it was her turf that was invaded. Once a wild jack rabbit somehow found its way into the neighborhood, entered the yard of the rented house Lynch called home, and made a meal from some lettuce Lynch grew in a backyard garden.

The commotion of Lynch swinging a broom at something caused me to go over and ask if she needed help. She was mad at that rabbit and wanted him dead.

My assessment was that if the rabbit was fed he wouldn't steal her food. Also, the rabbit, which had nasty teeth and needle sharp claws, belonged in his own natural habitat and needed to go home.

I consulted a vet who told me what kind of rabbit food to buy, along with a cage and how to trap the rabbit inside and then transport him back into his natural surroundings.

It was easy to find the rabbit food. Harder to locate a cheap, large rabbit cage, which was finally obtained at an outdoor swap meet.

All was going according to the vet plan but not fast enough for Lynch, who worried about her garden while doing nothing to help corral the long eared beast. The rabbit was beginning to come to me, but Lynch would scare him off. Getting the rabbit into the cage was difficult. He had a way of getting the food out of the cage without getting trapped inside. Finally, it looked like the cage catch might work, thanks to some of his favorite food.

The rabbit was in my yard behind a bush, his body touching my house, not harming anything. Lynch came over and looked at the rabbit. I told her I needed to make a quick trip to the store for more rabbit food and that should do the trick of getting him into the cage. I told her I'd be right back. I returned within 20 minutes.

Lynch was inside her house and the rabbit was lying on the property where she lived - dead.

Over the phone, the vet said floppy ears must have been either poisoned or the victim of blunt trauma.

I'm the one who pounded on their door yelling that the rabbit was dead in their yard. I'm the one who dug a grave and conducted a nice funeral for a rabbit who wasn't even a pet. Suddenly Lynch was just too upset about that dead rabbit. She ran into her garden and yanked up produce to be buried between the rabbit's paws. The death of that rabbit has always bothered me.

They were horrified when informed that the owners of their rental house were reclaiming their property, in what was then a nice neighborhood. Lynch was distraught that they were going to be forced to move into a poverty level neighborhood.

They moved, but are not forgotten.

Sister Rosemary Lynch is survived by Sister Klaryta Antoszewska, who was described in a Utah Law Review Society article MX:Democracy, Religion, and the Rule of Law - My Journey (c) 2004 by Edwin B. Firmage: "In Colorado, our small band of MX opponents was led by Sister Frances Russell, ... Sister Rosemary Lynch, and her beloved companion, Klaryta Antoszewska."

Lynch and Klaryta met in Rome in 1962 and had lived together from "1968 or 1969" until the day Lynch was hit by that car. The loss to Klaryta must be devastating and condolence wishes to her are most sincere.