James Edwin Liedell of Norwalk passed away peacefully at home on July 4, following a lengthy illness. He was 89.
James Liedell, 89, passed away on July 4. His funeral will be private.
Jim lived in Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod for almost 23 years before moving with his late wife, Susan, to Darien in March 2019 and then to Norwalk to be closer to family.
Jim was born in Wauseon, Ohio on Aug. 18, 1934, the beloved son of the late Herbert and Eleda Mae Hundstad Liedell. He was raised in Morristown and Brookside, New Jersey. Jim a post graduate year at Phillips Academy before graduating from Cornell University, where he received a bachelor degree and masters degree in mechanical engineering in 1956.
It was at Cornell that Jim met his future wife, Susan Baudendistel. They married on Sept. 14, 1957 and celebrated 63 years together before she passed away in May 2021.
Jim served in the U.S. Army before joining General Electric Company, where he spent the vast majority of his career. He worked in many GE towns — Schenectady, New York, Burlington, Vermont, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Erie, Pennsylvania, and he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the evenings to earn a master of science degree in management.
While at GE, he held many manufacturing engineering and management roles, including with the Power Transformer Department in Pittsfield, the Ferrous Foundry in Schenectady, plant manager of the Erie Foundry, manager of manufacturing, Apparatus Service Business Division (U.S. and internationally) and the Large Steam Turbine-Generator Department before retiring to Cape Cod in 1994.
Jim worked as hard in retirement as he did during his professional life. He co-founded Clean Power Now, the Cape’s leading renewable energy advocacy group, and was a huge supporter of Cape Wind.
He volunteered with the Town of Yarmouth as a member of the Energy Committee, coordinated “green” educational events and gave presentations on wind turbines. He also volunteered with the Red Cross, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and Meals on Wheels and was an active member of the Rotary Club of Yarmouth, the Cape Cod Mens Club and the Cornell Club of Cape Cod. He spent twelve years on the Board of Trustees of the First Congregational Church of Yarmouth.
Jim most enjoyed sailing and tennis, which he played well into his 80s, and was an accomplished duplicate bridge player. He dropped everything to spend time with his family; his grandchildren have very fond memories of Thanksgivings and summer vacation with Nana and Papa on Cape Cod.
Jim is predeceased by his beloved wife, Susan, and his daughter, Karen. He is survived by his son, Steven Liedell (Sara) of Upton, Massachusetts and his daughter, Gail Reynolds (Ralph) of Darien. He is also survived by his grandchildren and their children: Erin Tyler (Barry), great-grandsons Barry III and Bryant Tyler of Hammond, Indiana; Kathryn Cadavieco (Evan), great-granddaughter Camila of Holliston, Massachusetts; David Liedell of Brooklyn, New York; Natalie Reynolds (Cary Wasserman) of Darien; Jackson Reynolds of Austin, Texas; Kathleen Reynolds of New York City; and Braxton Reynolds of Austin. He is also predeceased by his sister, Nancy (Jim) Woodhull.
A private burial will be held on July 15, 2024 in West Yarmouth. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given in Jim’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.
— an obituary from Lawrence Funeral Home, where online condolences may be left