Lyko, James W.

James W. Lyko, 79, of West Hartford died Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Born in Cambridge, MA on June 22, 1943, he was the son of the late Walenty and Grace Lyko. Jim met his beloved wife of 57 years, Susan FitzGibbons Lyko, during his sophomore year at Enfield High School (class of ‘61). He attended the Hartford Art School and graduated from the Porter School of Engineering and Design in Rocky Hill, CT. A West Hartford resident since 1966, he was employed at Pratt & Whitney for 33 years.

An avid runner, Jim was a member of the Hartford Track Club and competed in countless road races and 20+ marathons across New England and beyond. He still holds the Lyko family record for fastest marathon at 3:04. He was a member of the Farmington Valley Rowing Association and racing in the Head of the Charles was a personal point of pride. In his younger years, he competed in triathlons and enjoyed mountaineering and ice climbing.

Though never known to “flash the leather” or “play above the rim” himself, Jim was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and an early devotee of University of Connecticut Men's and Women's Basketball. Jim loved all music, particularly American folk and bluegrass, and rarely missed a chance to drag Sue and the kids to yet another Tom Rush concert. He also proudly boasted of having been just feet from the stage at the Newport Folk Festival the first time Bob Dylan “went electric”.

Jim's love of reading and knowledge - especially World War II and nautical history - is well documented by an ever mounting pile of bookstore receipts and probably some unpaid late fees at the West Hartford Public Library. He was a member of the Winston Churchill Society, spent hours researching and interviewing WWII veterans for the Library of Congress Veterans Oral History Project, and was a dedicated volunteer at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport for over 18 years. He was an avid art lover and collector who had quite a skilled hand with the brush himself. Jim's love of boats, sailing, and the ocean was rivaled only by his love for his family and the many friends he collected through his endless interests.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sister Carol Bloomfield of Houston, TX; his children, Maggie Lyko (Patrick Twist) of New Rochelle, NY and Jamie Lyko (Lara Lyko) of Los Angeles, CA. He also leaves behind his four beloved grandchildren, Indiana, Matilda, Cashel and Fielding, who all knew him as Jimbo.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Peter Claver Church, 47 Pleasant St, West Hartford, CT on Saturday, March 4 at 10:00 am followed by a reception at Rockledge Grille. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355. Online condolences may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com.