Member Spotlight September 11, 2016

Lynn Bedard

 If you haven’t had the chance to meet Lynn Bedard, be sure to give her a hearty welcome.  We are so glad to hear from Lynn that on her very first visit at an 8:30 service, she received a warm welcome at Taylor FUMC.  She says that members scooped her up and invited her to sit with them, and she immediately knew that this church was a good fit for her.  She particularly remembers the warm welcome from Vesta Ryan and Betty Brown, who immediately invited her to choir.

Formerly a Catholic, Lynn was drawn to the United Methodist Church because of its doctrines and the practice of good works.  And speaking of good works, she has already volunteered to help with UMCOR’s projects of rebuilding the homes damaged by last year’s floods.

Lynn grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which is in the western part of Massachusetts.  While she loves Texas, she does miss the snow.  She has 2 boys, Matthew, 28, and Jonathan, 24, both of whom work in computer science.  Matthew is married to Laura, and they live in Belton, while Jonathan lives in Georgetown.  Lynn is very proud of her boys, and considers them to be her biggest success in life.

Lynn worked for many years as a computer systems manager for companies such as ITT.  Out of 1500 engineers and professionals, there were only two women, including Lynn.  Later, Lynn became a math teacher and worked for many years in Austin.  Four years ago, Lynn transferred to the Taylor ISD.  Now, she teaches math to secondary students at the Taylor Opportunity Center.  Even while teaching in mainstream classes, Lynn gravitated to helping students who were a little more in need of assistance than other students.  Now, she relishes those experiences when students go from being in trouble to being actively engaged in school and even sports. “I love my job,” she says.

Lynn’s friends describe her as a little crazy and you can see why when you hear the story of how she came to be called “Math Goddess”.  She got that name when students were calling her “Miss”, which she didn’t particularly like, and so she told them to call her Ms. Bedard, or it was okay to call her Math Goddess.  The name stuck.

Her talents include singing which she did quite regularly, often as a soloist, and for “by audition only” choirs.  She used to roller skate competitively, and learned Tae Kwon Do along with her boys.  She also sews, knits and crochets.  She also is quite handy with a saw and hammer, and knows how to lay floor tile, which she offered to do for UMCOR.  She once said she was going to build some shelves, and her ex-husband said, “You can’t do that.”  To which she replied, “Watch me.”  And she did.

When asked what she would do if money were no object, Lynn immediately said “Draw house plans.”  She originally wanted to be an architect.  And she would spend her time traveling all over the US.  She once spent 30 days traveling up the eastern coast of the United States, camping the entire way.  All her camping gear was fit into the trunk of her tiny Miata, and she would love to do that again.

Welcome to Taylor FUMC, Lynn, the Math Goddess!  It is going to be such fun having you with us.