My mom called at midnight last night.

She never married Tom Lynch; for the last 20 years, they have just been together – having fun, feuding, taking care of each other. And for the last 20 years, he’s been an integral part of our lives, and of the lives of the boys – all of whom adore him.

Tom has a relationship with his own children – I think nine of them – that we don’t completely see; there is history there going back far into their shared past. But his children have this amazing history of success. Colum Lynch of the Washington Post, Niall Lynch of Latham, the televison producers Joey and Tom Lynch…and those are just the ones I know of.

For the last year, mom has been amazingly selfless in caring for Tom as he’s battled with kidney disease, heart disease, and then lung cancer. Then as Tom’s energy and capabilities declined, she had been working with him family to get Tom into an assisted living facility.

Too late.

Last night he fell and broke his hip, and he’s now in the hospital in Santa Monica on a respirator as his condition declines rapidly.

He missed our family birthday dinner two weeks ago – said he didn’t feel well enough to come, and asked us to come by later, not that day. We said “Sure” and made plans to see him after this trip.

Don’t ever do that…go then regardless.

I want to rush home from North Carolina where I write this, but I know that it’s his family’s movie now, and that I need to keep myself – we need to keep ourselves – to the background.

But I can do one thing. Tom was a devout Irish Catholic in the years we knew him, and I can ask all of you to pray for him today.
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