From Doppleboch

 Some confusion with posting the following from Doppleboch:

I'm not one for taking photos so I'm not sure that I even have any pics that I took of John. When I seach my photos for Lynch, I did get 7 hits but they were all for Lynch-Bages a Bordeaux that John occasionally like to think was named for him.

I first met John in the early 80s about the same time as I met Dave working on 'The Switch' project at NCR.

I'm not sure why so many John stories involve humor at John's expense but that must say something about what a character he was.

I'm not good at story telling but I have fond memories of driving John out to Xenia to make child support payments. At this point I forget why I needed to drive him though I do remember that his cars at the time weren't exactly reliable. I don't remember the order of them, there was the blue Monte Carlo with the empty Mountain Dew bottle across the back floorboard and the Toyota Celica but it all becomes a blur. I do remember that we would stop on the way back and John would buy me lunch at the Asia Palace in Beavercreek. 

There was the humor of the early John and Candy dating years when we were working together at SE Fin and we would find out every Monday morning how his weekend went. After awhile it was decided that he would just put a little flag in the corner of his cube. If the flag was down you knew that the weekend didn't go well and it was best not to ask. I think Candy often had to drive (see above John car reference). One Monday he came in with the story of how Candy just put him out of the car (or he got mad and decided to get out on his own) and he walked home from somewhere out in north Dayton.

I didn't make nearly as many Oktoberfest trips as you guys so I will leave those stories to you. 

Needless to say John was quite the guy who always had a story to tell, or someone telling a story about him.

Hard to belive that he is gone. I'm still struggling to process it all.

What can I say in response to the tragic news about John G. Lynch? I was deeply influenced by Mr. Lynch and held him in the highest regard while working for him in UNIX Product Marketing. John was brilliant and taught me invaluable lessons about business and product marketing that I used throughout my career.

He was funny and always thinking about the next big project. I still laugh about some of his trials and tribulations—especially the time his Porsche burned. I always suspected a dropped cigarette on the floorboard, though the official explanation was an engine gas leak.

I remember one camping trip when the fire burned so hot that, by morning, John had created what looked like the next Dale Chihuly glass sculpture from melted wine bottles. Then there was his golf game: he sprayed Pro V1s around as if they were Top-Flite balls. When I asked, “John, why don’t you use cheaper golf balls?” he replied, “You have to play the part if you want to be a golfer.”

When we traveled together to Oktoberfest, John and I spent countless hours walking and talking. He will be missed more than he could ever know, and I will always carry his memory with me. Rest in peace, John. P.S. Sell your Coca-Cola stock—it’s going to tank when the news gets out.

Some Photo's of recent times:

John Lynch was famous... for a day.

 John was a long time friend,  I met him in 1982,  and we raised a few glasses over the following 44 years.  In my early career,  John was a mentor,  and definite influence,  which guided me away from programming and into the world of Product Marketing.   The most un believable things always occurred with John right in the middle of them.  Many of the memorable ones are humorous,  usually involving drinking, golfing, travel.  A few come to mind:

1. John running over a ball washer at NCR CC, with me riding shotgun.  A few weeks later, George HW Bush used same ball washer, and seemed to comment on the dilapidated/crushed waste can attached to it.

2. John being forever banned from doing laundry at his home.  I guess he washed the family silver,  which had been hidden there by his wife, Candy, in the washing machine.  I heard it was permanent Press cycle. 

3. John being christened Einfahrt for obvious reasons after our first trip,  which included lots of weissbier, sauerkraut, and sausages.  

4. John lending his Posche 911 to some miscreant,  who then proceeded to call into the local radio station, describing said deed.  John was proclaimed Idiot of the Week, by Kent Voss.

5. John being led to the Geldomat in 1993 by Chugger and Barleyman, and withdrawing lots of cash, then immediately lending it to his friends.  (Yes we paid him back). I think that same night he had a tuna fish pizza.  

6. I don't remember the year,  but on our traditional first stop of Oktoberfest trip at Hofbrauhaus,  John dropped his brand new Nikon camera into his mug of beer.  He spent the rest of the trip worrying what Candy was going to say.

7.  And then John became famous.  He made the headlines of the local paper.  Seems some guy with the same name (not the football guy), did something nefarious.  Poor John..  

I am sure there will be more stories as we look back on our times together.  I deeply respected John in many ways,  and enjoyed his company.  My heart goes out to his family, especially Candy, his kids,  and sister Jane.

Raise a Maß orTwo for Einfahrt

Please take this opportunity to honor our good friend and fellow Oktoberfestian, Einfahrt (John Lynch) who passed away early today. We hope he is now pursuing that endless supply of Helles, Lager, Weisbier, Pils, or whatever is available in the Oktoberfest Tent in the sky. Maybe a slice of tuna fish pizza as a side dish.

Einfahrt was one of the original members of our Oktoberfest trips beginning in 1993, and joined most of our trips until right before Covid. I think he just lost interest in the routine. Einfahrt excelled at just about everything; all you had to do was ask him. Primarily, Einfahrt was our go-to-guy for details, especially travel and directions. He had a keen sense of direction, and could always be relied upon for finding the way to somewhere new.  

Future Oktoberfests and our routine bier sessions will never be the same again without Einfahrt. Post your favorite Einfahrt memory about Oktoberfest and our trips to Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest has started

 The team from sarlat is busy packing, and will be in Munich in less than 24 hours..  Flying dan gets there today.  Save us a few mass, Dan.

Thoughts on Oktoberfest

 The Board of Directors of Oktoberfest Visits had a phone conference this afternoon, to do some early planning.  We are getting to the point where we need to have a loosely planned itinerary, as we may be beer addled once on the ground in Munich. This year we will have 8 attendees,  2 of whom will be newbies.

We want to balance new things, with traditional favorites, and obligatory amazing events.  Our biggest concern is dealing with the tents.  We don't have tickets yet, but know we can get in during the day, and with good planning stay a looong time.

In the planning stages,  Andechs, Oktoberfest grounds and tents, Englischer gardens, Hofbrauhaus, some Benedictine place Henk took us to, Shakespeare's, Nuremberg.  We took Weltenburg, Dachau, and Tegernsee off the table.    So the trip is shaping up. 

The final points were made during a discussion of The Beer Drinkers Guide to Munich, published by our Bavarian Sensei, Larry Hawthorne. It has been 11 years since the seventh edition was published, yet it still offers insight into Munich's finest establishments.  We left the discussion with an assignment to review the book, find places that sound great and verify the details.  Put it on our list for the trip.

The only thing settled is a trip to the great monastery of Kloster Andechs on Sunday after our intrepid team is all together.

Looking forwarded to this years trip as I will be newly retired.

Upcoming Oktoberfest Thoughts

Guten Tag fellow Oktoberfestians.

Here are some thoughts as we approach this year's 33-year anniversary trip, Die Zwei Dreien excursion.

In only 46 days everyone will be in München and we will celebrate several milestones. First, of course, is the 33-year anniversary of our visits to celebrate the Golden Nectar and free-flowing sausages. We have partied hard, consumed countless litres of bier, and met lots of good and interesting people. No one is more important than our favorite hotelier, Anton at The Hotel Alfa. Save for one trip, we have stayed there for all of our visits.

The next celebration... Congrats to BarleyMan and Paulaner Girl on their retirements. Now they have no excuse for not joining us on other world-class trips.

Finally, hopefully we will celebrate Chugger's survival of what is now known as The Athens Experience. As Chugger evolves from using the walker to the cane for getting around, there are still challenges. Two things will drive Chugger's attendance: 1. the ability to routinely move around with the cane, and 2. the endurance of walking long distances. I do not feel like #1 will be an issue, but #2 is suspect. There are just over 6 weeks to continue building the strength in my leg for long-distance walking. I have an evaluation session with the physical therapist in two days and a follow-up visit with my surgeon in one week. Hopefully, we can put together a plan to continue building my strength. If I had to decide today, I would not be going. Looking forward, I think it might only be a 60/40 chance I travel. I will work hard to change that outlook. One interesting item that will drive my rehabilitation, I need to maintain my perfect attendance record. Since the start of our visits, I am the only Oktoberfestian to attend every visit!

Prost !!!

2 Months until I leave for Europe.

 The countdown has begun.  Paulner Girl leaves at the end of August,  and I will join her 2 weeks later in Bordeaux.  Swilling wine and eating truffles for a few days.  Then on to the Mother Ship..    Looking forward to the trip and our band of 8 hearty souls.  

The Transformation Has Begun

 

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Gotta Love This Woman

The Calm Before the Storm

Keith...
Sent from my iPhone. Pleez Xcuse any spulling or gramer missteaks.

Doesn't Seem Horrible

Keith...
Sent from my iPhone. Pleez Xcuse any spulling or gramer missteaks.

2026 Oktoberfestians Finalized

Well, it's never over until it's over, or more importantly the 1st Maß is consumed.

Some have cancelled, and it's always possible for a last minute addition, but here is the final 2026 Oktoberfestian list....

Chugger

Designated Walker

Flying Dan

Lost in Space

Barley Man

Paulaner Girl

Poomdoh

SG

Prost to all!

Need help on deciding

 Our sub-team will be staying in Bavaria for a few days to recover before our trip home.  There are number of options available.  We are looking for a town to visit:

1-3 hours away from Munich

Quaint, cool things to do (Afternoon Friday,  all day Saturday, Sunday morning)

We have some candidates:

- Fussen

- Garmisch

- Regensberg

- Bamberg (may be too far)

- Oberammergau

- Mittenwald

Any other suggestions to consider?  Recommendations?

Flights Confirmed for Chugger & Designated Walker

 

After arriving in Frankfurt we will then take an ICE train to München.

Approaching Über Trip Numbers

With our current committed and not yet confirmed attendees, we have 12 Oktoberfestians for the trip. I was informed yesterday that there is a potential for five additional Oktoberfestians for a total of 17! 

This would tie the 17 Oktoberfestians during the 2005 Über Trip. What has this world come to?

Sample Itinerary

 Sunday

Meet up at the HofBrauhaus for libations

Head to 'fest grounds?

Monday

Viktualienmarkt for lunch

Afternnon do a drive by of 'fest or check our some new beer halls

Tuesday

Tour to Weltenburg

Evening in various beer halls

Wednesday

Head to 'fest for shopping, rides, etc.

Afternoon at Schloss Nymphenburg or Augsburg

Evening Reserved table at 'fest

Thursday

Englischergarten, Lunch at Seehaus

Head to 'fest and try to get in tent

If not, head to Angustiner Keller

Friday

Head out to far flung places

Note:

Every evening ends at Shakespeare's

To Tent is to be divine

I am in favor of trying to get a table at the tent for one of our nights.  While the reserved table don't have the frothy goodness of the mosh pit,  it would be nice to have a tent seat.

Have we asked Anton if we can get seats????