Lydia H. Sparrow

Lydia Huntington Sparrow passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 8, 2017, at the age of 84, with family at her side. Born May 21, 1932, in Charlottesville, VA, to William Reed Huntington and Katrina Roelker Stokes, Lydia grew up in St. James, Long Island. She studied art at Antioch College and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her passion was sketching people and places as well as painting watercolors of flower bouquets and the boats and the landscapes of coastal Maine, where the family summered. She shared this passion during the artist workshops she ran during the summer. She and her first husband, the late Edward G. Sparrow, Jr., (St. John's College professor and, later, dean) became devout Catholics after they were married. She believed in the importance of eating organic foods and made all the family's bread. Lydia taught her each of her 8 sons and daughters how to sew, cook, draw, paint, garden, and work with wood. Living in Annapolis, Maryland, Lydia encouraged and counseled students as well as entertained other faculty and guests with elegant meals and parties. She was a life long member of Caritas Society of St. John's College, Inc. and president from 1981-82. She was also an environmental activist and participated in other political causes. In 1998, she married Edwin C. Hoyt and together they pursued their joint passions for conserving the natural lands of Vinalhaven, Maine and promoting world peace. They were active members of the Thornton Oaks Retirement Community in Brunswick, ME. Lydia spent her final years in Concord, N.H. She is survived by two younger sisters, six children, and 12 grandchildren. Her family and friends will miss her generous, creative, and affectionate spirit.