Obituaries

The incomparable Lynn Slade died at her home in Los Angeles on July 29, one month after her 79th birthday.

Lynn led an extraordinary life in which she cultivated a large and loving community of family and friends, nurtured a dynamic decades-long marriage, raised a son, explored her passions, stayed connected to movements for equity and justice, and traveled the world.

She brought kindness and warm generosity of spirit to all she met, effortlessly creating authentic connections and sparking friendships throughout her lifetime. She was beloved by many.

Left behind to honor her memory is only-child Sam Comen and beloved daughter-in-law Taylor Comen; her cherished granddaughters Evan (age 4) and Alexandra (age 20 months;) and her loving sister Laurie Slade of San Diego, CA. Her devoted husband Jimmy Comen passed away in 2018 after 46 years of partnership, play, parenting, and perseverance.

As a clinical social worker, Lynn touched the lives of countless patients over the course of the 44-year career she launched soon after earning a Masters from UC Berkeley. In Los Angeles she built a private practice in downtown and served as a phone-based therapist with Kaiser Permanente.

In her 20s, after earning her journalism degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, she enjoyed a short career as a reporter in New York City. Her first full-time post was in the publicity department of Seventeen Magazine. Notably, Lynn covered Woodstock for a rock magazine in 1969.

Lynn’s boundless curiosity helped her get through oft-piling The New Yorker issues and stay attuned to American culture.  Her deep love of the arts made her a regular patron of Los Angeles’ theaters, museums, and concert halls. In fact, on the day she passed, she had planned for a sushi dinner and Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” at the Ahmanson Theatre. In her retirement, she delighted in spending time with her friends, devotedly driving across LA to share laughs and meaningful conversation with her Mah-jongg and book club circles.

Lynn’s warmth, wonder for the world, intellect, and passion were focused on hers and Jimmy’s son Sam Comen, born in 1980. A lifelong friend put it best the day before this obituary was posted: “Sam was her magnum opus.” Inspired by his mother’s passion for the arts and her journalistic curiosity, Sam found his calling as a nationally-recognized documentary photographer, whose works have been collected at LACMA, showcased at the Smithsonian, and featured in publications like The New York Times and TIME Magazine. In 2017, when Sam’s work was first shown at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Lynn attended the opening reception, standing proudly with her son’s photography, displayed side by side with works by the leading documentary photographers of the 20th Century.

Born in Chicago to Sam and Florence Slade, Lynn was raised there, in Los Angeles, and Seattle. Lynn took joy in celebrating her Judaism with husband Jimmy, bringing her family together to celebrate holidays throughout the year, always over a meal she expertly-prepared with the kind of love and care she brought to every endeavor.

She will be sorely missed, forever loved, and always remembered.