Lynne R. Prouty
1948 - 2021
Lynne will be missed, until we meet
again…
Lynne R. Prouty, 72, died at home in
Tucson, Arizona on Monday, January 25, 2021, from metastatic breast
cancer. She took her last breath in the presence of her spouse,
Eduardo Quintana, and her children, Carolina, Morgan, and Savannah.
She is survived by her sister Nadine in Minneapolis, nieces Jennifer,
Laura, Susie, her sister-in law Diana in Kansas City, cousins Ron and
Peg in Joliet, Beth in Oregon and various other cousins and
relatives.
Lynne was born in Newton, Kansas in
1948. She was preceded in death by her parents George and Pauline,
brother Dennis and beloved aunt, Althea who shared Lynne's love of
life and teaching.
Lynne grew up on a farm, descended from
a pioneer Kansas family. She attended "stinkin" Lincoln
Elementary, Newton High School and graduated from the University of
Kansas with a B.S. and Masters. She lived and died a hard-core,
life-long Jayhawks basketball fan but her loyalty got a little
complicated when the Jayhawks played the U of A Wildcats.
Lynne loved children and spent her
professional life as an educator and Principal in Arizona, at Eloy
Santa Cruz High School, Sunnyside, and Marana school districts and
also in California,. Lynne specialized in Special Education, Gifted,
and Migrant Education. She also served as a principal and hearing
officer for years. Lynne was devoted to her students and brought home
Martin when she discovered he was homeless, later his brother Juan
joined him. We got custody of both of them, put them in school. Juan
ran track, winning a state championship in the mile under Coach Joe
Prince. Juan said he got his speed running from "la Migra".
She met her husband Eduardo Quintana working on the TCE groundwater
contamination in 1985 in Tucson and helped form the community group
Tucsonans for a Clean Environment (TCE). They were married in 1988
and stayed happily married until her death. Her lifelong passion for
racial, social, environmental and economic justice led her to march
for civil rights, against the Vietnam war, and for women's rights and
the environment. She also traveled to Nicaragua with her husband to
observe the Sandinista revolution first hand. Throughout her life she
was hard-working, indefatigable, joyous, and professional. Even while
terminally ill, she volunteered helping migrant families at Casa
Alitas in Tucson. The smiles on the many women and children brought
her deep happiness.
Lynne was kind, compassionate and
generous. Her clear sapphire-blue eyes always sparkled even as she
was nearing death. Lynne loved music: classical, pop and Blues and
played the piano until hand arthritis made it too difficult to
continue. She loved good food, books, wine with her friends,
laughter, hiking and camping in the Catalinas, Chiricahuas, Gila
Wilderness and travel to Europe to visit a former German exchange
student (Uwe) that she stayed in contact with for over 40 years. She
loved the dogs that passed through our lives, Golden Retrievers
Bridget & Ben, Max the gentle Lab, Molly the blind Cow, Moo the
sweet Chihuahua and especially Paddy, the fearlessly protective
Patterdale Terrier who lived on her lap. Lynne had a brilliant mind,
gentle nature, a contagious smile, quick, and ever present. She was a
voracious reader and a prolific font of information on everything,
really. She stayed glued to her phone and twitter these past four
years but like many was ecstatic when she didn't have to anymore.
Lynne gave generously of herself to her
kids, her friends, her husband and will continue to contribute in
death to make a better world.
She donated her body to science and
will resume her teaching career at the U of A College of Medicine.
She requested no service, no burial, nothing …"have a party,
if you want to do something." We may do that when her cremains
are returned to us in about a year.
Her ashes will be scattered in the
desert, in the White Mountains that she loved, and perhaps Lawrence,
Ks too by the people who will always love her.
It is suggested that in lieu of
flowers, donations may be made to Casa Alitas,
(https://www.ccs-soaz.org/agencies-ministries/detail/alitas-aid-for-migrant-women-and-children
Youth on their Own (https://yoto.org) or Casa Maria in Tucson
(https://casamariatucson.org/donations)
