Peter Byrne

1924 - 2016

Peter Byrne

1924-2016

Peter Joseph Byrne passed away on November 28, 2016 in Naples, FL. Born and reared in suburban Philadelphia, he later resided in Greenwich, CT, Chicago, IL, and Naples, FL. He was 92.

A funeral Mass was held at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, IL on Saturday, December 3rd at 10 a.m.

Mr. Byrne is survived by his loving wife, Mary Elizabeth Scripps of Naples; and her two sons, Ben Breslin and Andrew and his wife, Amie Breslin. Peter and his wife acquired numerous close friends while in Chicago and Naples. Peter is also survived by two sons Michael Byrne, and Tom Byrne and his wife Caroline and their sons, Ryan and stepson Tom Wamberg and his wife Cindy, Irene Byrne his devoted sister-in-law, 2 daughters, Patricia A. Lynch and Karen M. Byrne.

A decorated combat veteran of Patton's Third Army in WWII, Peter graduated cum laude from St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA; he later received an Advanced Management degree from Northwestern University. An unacknowledged innovator, Peter's business career was marked by a number of "firsts" on the Operating and Marketing sides of major air cargo and motor freight carriers. A lifelong love of logistics was evident from an early age. His uncanny foresight led him toward revolutionizing Procurement and Distribution functions of numerous businesses; he pioneered the creation and use of containers for air freight distribution. It often seemed that Peter was happiest at his desk, buried in paperwork. Yet there were lesser known sides to him as well, such as his pitch-perfect delivery of jokes-he had quite a repertoire-and the deep pleasure he got from basking in the sun, waterside, fine-tuning his well cultivated tan. He was known as a "class act," a gentleman who graced the presence of others with Old World charm, and was renowned for his generous philanthropic practices. Among numerous awards received for contributions of service and leadership, he was especially proud of those from Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, St. Joseph's University, Edmundite Mission, and the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either of the following organizations; Mercy Home for Boys and Girls www.mercyhome.org, Edmundite Mission www.edmunditemissions.org, or Providence House, Naples, FL www.providencehouse.org.