John E. Byrne

East Lyme - John E. Byrne of East Lyme passed away on Monday, April 23, 2018, after a courageous battle with mesothelioma.

John was born Nov. 11, 1946, in Seattle, Wash., the son of Edward J. and Frances E. (Barich) Byrne, graduated from Waterford High School, Class of 1965, was employed at General Dynamics/Electric Boat in Groton in 1966 and served in the Army from 1967 to 1970. He went on to work as a technician for Eastern Connecticut Cable TV and Metrocast for 43 years, retiring in 2016 due to his illness. It was determined John's illness was caused by his contact with airborne asbestos during his brief employment at Electric Boat although the symptoms did not significantly manifest for another 49 years.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Carol; his son, Ian; and brother, Mick and a loving family; and many friends and co-workers who will all sadly miss him and remember him always.

John was a devoted husband and father and dedicated employee responding to emergencies and service outages to the cable network in the area at all hours of the day and night for over three decades. He was active with the athletic programs at East Lyme High School and a member of the Thursday night Cedar Ridge Golf League since its inception in the early 80s. John was a lover of music and kept a drum kit throughout his life and played it regularly.

A celebration of John's life will be held starting at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 3, 2018, at Langley's Restaurant at the Great Neck Country Club in Waterford. All who knew John and treasured his friendship are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Hospice Care of Southeastern Connecticut will be gratefully accepted and can be sent to Hospice at 227 Dunham St., Norwich, CT 06360.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to all who have supported John through this devastating illness.

(www.byles.com)