Jack Lydon, longtime Quincy city councilor and businessman, dies at 82: 'A whale of a guy'

QUINCY − In the three weeks since the death of former city councilor and local businessman John "Jack" Lydon Jr., his daughter Michelle Lydon said she's received dozens of condolence cards, phone calls and messages from people she had no idea even knew her father.

"He knew how to lead and he had such compassion for everyone," said Lydon, who is married to current Ward 5 City Councilor Chuck Phelan. "'Jack's a whale of a guy,' that's what everybody always said."

Lydon, longtime Ward 3 city councilor and founder of the former Lydon Funeral Home, died April 21. He was 82. A Dorchester native and son of an Irish immigrant from Galway, Lydon married his wife, Diane, and raised four children in Quincy.

He served as president of the Quincy City Council; was a Grand Knight of the North Quincy Knights of Columbus; treasurer of the Young Democrats of Quincy; director of the Wollaston Business and Professional Association; vice president of St. Anne's Holy Name Society; chair of the Capital Improvement Committee for Quincy; and capital budget advisor to the city council in the 1970s.

"He was the most amazing man, compassionate man," said Michelle Lydon, who worked closely with her father at the now-Hamel-Lydon Chapel in Hancock Street. "In the final days, I looked at him and said 'Look what we've done' and he said, 'We've done some good work, Michelle.'"

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Lydon was known for his time in politics, business acumen and work with the city's then-budding Asian community. The Lydon Funeral Home was the first business in Wollaston to have a sign in Chinese. He was a recipient of the Vision Award from Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.

"We were proud and loud and we did it and here we are," Michelle said. "He did so many great things."

His daughter was only 12 years old the first time Jack Lydon ran for Quincy City Council in 1973, and she remembers walking the streets of the then newly-created Ward 3 with him at 2 a.m. to hang doorknockers on election morning. Lydon, 32 at the time, topped a field of six candidates to win the seat.

"We were handing out bumper stickers and holding signs and he was making real change to help people, and now I'm getting cards from all of them," she said. "I wish I could say to him, 'Wow, dad, look at you."

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Lydon leaves behind three daughters, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife and son, David.

"He's with the love of his life and my brother. As he used to say, this life is hard but it's what you say and do that matters in the end." Michelle said. "They're all dancing in the sky."

Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Remembering Ward 3 Quincy City Councilor Jack Lydon