Obituary of Lynn McCormick Salerno

Lynn McCormick Salerno was born on October 30, 1923 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and died October 4, 2018 in Tumwater, Washington. She was the youngest of four children born to J. Gilchrist and Sarah (Larkins) McCormick. Her sisters, Sally, Eliza, and Jean, are all deceased. 

Lynn was married to Alfonso Shimbel; their two children, Erica Shimbel, and Cynthia Fairley (Brian), survive her. She was later married to Joseph Salerno, who is recently deceased. Lynn is also survived by two grandchildren, Duncan Fairley and Monika Freymond; two nieces, Leafy and Ellen Feld; great nephew and niece, Jack and Rose Bradmiller-Feld; and beloved dog, Molly.  

Lynn was a graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in French, and had a great love of language. This led to a long career as an editor of books and publications. She worked for The Harvard Business Review, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The American Bar Foundation, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Encyclopedia Britannica, and numerous other publishers. 

After her retirement, Lynn moved to Washington State to live near her daughter, Cynthia, and family. Using her new home as a base, she traveled extensively around the world. She spent a lot of time writing stories and poetry, both alone and together with other writers. She lived in Olympia for nearly 30 years, and developed many close friendships and connections. She was a member of The Newcomers Club, The Carnegie Group, The Group Health Medical Center Council, The Olympia Writers’ Group, Bookers, and several other organizations. Lynn loved garage sales and gardening. But the lion’s share of Lynn’s time was spent watching her grandchildren grow up and enjoying family time.  

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 21, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at The Woman’s Club, 1002 Washington St. SE, Olympia, WA 98501.