Bits & Pieces

Goodbye, Mr Lyddy

By Kim J. Harmon

Gosh, the things you learn about people.

When I first came to Newtown 13 years ago and started covering young Katie Lyddy and the Newtown High School girls basketball team for The Bee, I had heard that her father, Tom, almost always sitting there on the bottom row of the bleachers, was a pretty good athlete when he was younger.

Pretty good?

As a kid, he played in the Pony League World Series in Pennsylvania and competed in the Biddy Basketball World Tournament in Chicago and Lakewood, New Jersey. He was a baseball, basketball and football standout at Fairfield Prep (All-State and Catholic All-American in football, for heaven’s sake) and briefly became a Maryland Terrapin before an injury cut short his football career. He went on to Fairfield University and played baseball and played well enough to attract the attention of professional baseball scouts.

Although I saw him many, many times at Newtown High School basketball games and once had the pleasure of eating dinner with him and his wife, Sally, when their son Kyle was named Newtown Bee Sportsman of the Year, I could never bring myself to call him, “Tom.”

It was always Mr Lyddy.

It’s been 13 years, but I can still picture Mr Lyddy and his wife sitting on the bleachers, Katie posting up in the lane, and little Kyle racing out onto the court during timeouts to shoot a quick basket or two.

Mr Lyddy left us last week at the age of 57 and his presence will certainly be missed.

Anyone wishing to make memorial contributions can do so to Swim Across the Sound, c/o St Vincent Medical Center Foundation, 2800 Main Street, Bridgeport CT 06606.