Lynne Rauscher-Davoust (nee Rauscher), age 88, of Elmhurst, IL, died May 2nd, 2024. She was born on December 7th, 1935 in San Francisco, CA, the daughter of the late Irma and Walter Rauscher. She was the loving and beloved wife of the late Merritt J. Davoust, and is survived by her loving brother Warren Rauscher, nephew Brent (Cheryl) Rauscher, grand-niece Brittany (Tre) Williams and her children (Hallie, Sophie, and Luke), and many Davoust in-laws.
She graduated from Abraham Lincoln HS (1953), the University of California, Berkeley (BA 1957), and San Francisco State University (MA 1978). She taught grades 5-6 for 19.5 years in the San Francisco Unified School District. In 1969, BBC-TV filmed her teaching “Family Life Education”. She was active in the District Integration Task Force and Presented many in-service programs to District teachers in Content Area techniques.
After her marriage in 1977, she moved to Elmhurst, IL, as her husband’s main office was in Chicago. She taught in the Villa Park School District 45 for 23 more years as a Reading Specialist, K-5, known to her students as “Ms. R-D”. She received the District’s “Teacher of the Year” honor in 1988. She developed several District programs, such as Young Authors, STAR, Read/Write, and LEARN. In addition to making over 120 presentations at local school districts and reading conferences, she also was an occasional adjunct instructor at National Louis, St. Xavier, and Benedictine Universities, and Elmhurst College, teaching reading techniques.
Lynne chaired the Suburban Council of Reading Consultants from 1981-2001, getting well-known speakers to present programs on reading twice a year. She also was on the Boards of the West Suburban, Prairie Area, and the Illinois Reading Councils. She received many certificates of recognition, including the “Those Who Excel Award of Recognition” from the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Reading Council’s Literacy Award. She organized the 1989 DuPage County Reading Institute Day, helped with the 1982 and 1993 IRC Regional Conferences, and was also a presenter for DuPage’s “Reading First” programs for teachers in 2004-5.
She was a world-wide traveler all her life and visited more than 2/3 of the world.
Entombment will be at Cypress Lawn’s Lower Garden in Colma, California.
Memorials may be sent to the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra or the charity of your choosing.
