Gerrit V. Lydecker
03-30-2022
Gerrit V. Lydecker, 92, beloved father, husband, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend passed away peacefully in his home in Stamford, Connecticut on March 30, 2022. He was preceded in death by his parents Leigh K. Lydecker and Dorothy Fisher Lydecker; his siblings Louise, William, Katharine and his wife Brenda.
Gerrit was born in 1929 on a historical day known as Black Monday - the Great Wall Street Crash. He grew up on his family’s farm in Maywood, NJ and attended Bogota High School. He served as a pilot in the Navy and in the naval reserves. He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in Engineering and then took a job at Union Carbide. He was a Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from The Sloan School of Management.
In 1964, while working in Manhattan for Union Carbide, he met the love of his life Brenda. Three weeks later he proposed, and four months later they married. They lived in New York City, Massachusetts, Illinois, and then settled down in CT, growing their family to five children. They were married for 54 years and had a long and beautiful life together.
Gerrit had great faith and was actively involved with St. Francis Episcopal Church and Emmaus Community in Stamford. He found solace in the outdoors inspired by his childhood growing up on a farm and time spent with his family in the Adirondacks. He loved nature and growing an annual vegetable garden. His joy was not so much from eating the harvest of vegetables but rather in giving it away to others.
He sat on the Board of the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, supported many environmental and conservation organizations and was a Patron of the Arts around Fairfield County with Brenda. He cherished his annual ski trips and his regular tennis and paddle tennis games with his best guy friends. He was a member of the Darien Men’s Association and enjoyed learning new things.
He was a loving family man, an excellent listener, he expressed compassion, empathy and was a true gentleman, taking great care to make everyone feel comfortable and at home. Many people described him as a father-figure because he offered great advice, and listened without judgment. He was charming, loved to dance, had a big heart and quick wit and the most memorable bear hugs.
Gerrit is survived by his oldest brother, Leigh K. Lydecker Jr.( Jane), and his five children Ann, Ginny (Scott), Margaret (Peter), Eleanor, Gerrit Jr. (Libby) as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and numerous beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Gerrit’s life will be held at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 2810 Long Ridge Road, Stamford, CT on May 1, 2022 at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, we are asking friends to make a donation in his name to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center (www. stamfordmuseum.org/ lydecker) or The Wild Center (https://www.wildcenter. org/) in Tupper Lake, NY.