MCGREGOR, Texas — The McGregor community is mourning the loss of Jerry Lynch, a longtime teacher at McGregor Independent School District.
Lynch, 55, died after crashing an ATV around 5:20 p.m. Friday northwest of Crawford, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
DPS officials said she lost control of the Suzuki ATV while taking a curve on Prairie Chapel Rd.
The ATV left the roadway, went up a hill and flipped, officials said.
Lynch was taken to Baylor Scott and White in Waco to be treated but was later pronounced dead.
Lynch was in education for 31 years and had been with McGregor ISD for 27.
MISD superintendent James Lenamon said Lynch was a "dedicated and beloved member" of the school community, and she will be missed.
"She was a coach, a teacher, a mentor and a friend to all," Lenamon said. "Jerry has been a part of my family's life for over 17 years."
Around the community, her loss left what one woman said she could only describe as a crater.
Lynch had left a mark on generations of Bulldog students, including basketball players in the town.
"Jerry Lynch is standing at the gates of heaven with her daddy," Tim Seward, former athletic director and current junior high assistant principal, said. "She's looking down on all of us, knowing she left this world a better place."
A former student and co-worker of Lynch, Kristen Koch was tearing up as she described the impact Coach Lynch had.
"As a student she always pushed me past my limits and never let me give up," Koch said.
Lynch also taught the district's PAL program, a mentoring program among students. That's where Garrett Salas, a 2014 graduate of McGregor High School, met Lynch.
"She really inspired me to continue that outside of high school," Salas said. "I do coach Little League baseball, now. I really enjoyed it."
For now, a community mourns and wraps its arms around her one final time with a simple message.
"I would tell her thank you," Salas said. "Thank you for being the person that she was and for teaching me the things that you taught me."