Thomas P. Lydon Obituary
Thomas Patrick Lydon of Silver Spring, MD, died on January 20, 2024 after a short illness. Born in New York City on November 15, 1945, Tom grew up in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, where he was educated at St. John's Catholic School. He went to Xavier High School in Manhattan, where he was captain of the track team and graduated sixth in a class of 208. Xavier believed that its classrooms formed "men for others," men whose focus in life would be on helping others. Tom spent many late afternoons visiting dying patients at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx and prisoners at Rikers Island. He was Phi Beta Kappa at Georgetown University (B.A. 1967). As an ROTC graduate, he went "all in" for his time in the Army as he did in all aspects of his life. He became an Airborne Ranger, served in the Army for almost 5 years, including two tours of duty in Vietnam, and earned two bronze stars for his service in Vietnam.
Returning to civilian life, he earned a Master of Science degree in Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He became a reporter for The Stamford Advocate in Stamford, CT. Given his commitment to serving others, it is not surprising that his weekly column focused on telling the stories of people in the community whose work made a difference, including Linus Pauling and Maurice Sendak.
In 1976 Tom married Jane Marie Mahon, who was a Children's Librarian at the Darien Public Library. In the 80s, Tom and Jane moved to Washington so that Tom could work as an aide to Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania. When Tom left his job on Capitol Hill, he became a writer for Jane's Defence Weekly. Tom earned a law degree at Georgetown Law School after he and Jane experienced first-hand the need for competent legal representation and, after several years as an associate of a law firm in Towson, MD, became a public defender focused on helping under-age offenders. All too often, he found himself attending the funerals of young clients.
Jane passed away in 2018, more than ten years after suffering a stroke that left her speechless and unable to walk—over those years, Tom cared lovingly for her at home, continuing to take her to visit friends and relatives as far away as Peaks Island, ME, and to enjoy restaurants and concerts. Tom is survived by his niece, Jeannie Ritzius of Long Beach, CA, her daughter Brianna, his brother-in-law John Mahon of Southbury, CT, and friends too numerous to count who have all benefited from Tom's kindness, his generous spirit, and his great sense of humor, and who saw his great faith as a model of what it is to live life as a Christian.
A visitation will be held on Thursday February 1, from 5-7pm at the Magner Funeral Home 12 Mott Ave. Norwalk. A mass of Christian burial will be held on February 2, 11:00 am at St. Philips Church, 1 Fr. Conlin Place Norwalk, CT followed by a burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Valhalla, NY.
In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity in Tom's name.
