Father Gregory Patrick Lyttle
Father Gregory Patrick Lyttle, 81, of Summit Street, Princeton, died Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at his home, with his family by his side.
Born January 7, 1942, in Bronx, NY, he was the son of the late John William Lyttle, Sr. and Mary Drury Lyttle.
Left to cherish his memory are his loving and devoted family, John William Lyttle, Jr. and wife, Connie, Mary Ellen Campbell, Patricia Joan Hatfield, Robert Michael Lyttle and wife, Gail, David Francis Lyttle and wife, Patricia, Jeanne Marie Schmauss and husband, David; nephews, Charles Hatfield, Conor, Sean, Alex, and John Lyttle; nieces, Jennifer Viger and Kerry MacDonald; grandnephews, Briger and Turner Viger and Colin and Trever MacDonald; grandnieces, Megan and Ellie MacDonald and Hayden Lyttle; dear friend and caregiver, Coty Dennis; wonderful friends and neighbors, Jim and Loretta Lintz and David and Wilma Styers; Sherry Lusk, the caring nurse’s aide from Amedisys Hospice; and Amber Dunford and Aiden Butler who assisted with Fr. Greg’s care.
Father Greg began his seminary training at the Maryknoll Seminary in Ossing, NY. He joined the Order of the Compagnia di San Paola, Milan, Italy in the 1970s. He learned of the Society through his mentor and spiritual director, Fr. Ronaldo Borzaga. In May of 1975, Greg was ordained into the priesthood. His first ministry was in his hometown parish St. Peter the Apostle in River Edge, NJ, as the director of religious education. In 1980, he continued his ministry as a director of religious education at St. Patrick’s parish in Yorktown, NY.
In 1984, Fr. Greg went to Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY, to work in Campus ministry. He lived with Fr. Borzaga and 2 other priests. During this time, Fr. Greg served as one of the catholic chaplains for the Kolping Residence in the Bronx and Marian Woods, a home for elderly religious sisters in Hartsdale, NY. In 1995, He served as the Catholic chaplain at the Veterans Hospital in the Bronx. He retired 14 years later, in 2009, and came to West Virginia to care for his mother. He and his sister, Mary Ellen, took care of their mom, until she passed away in 2011 at the age of 100.
During this time many parishioners from Sacred Heart church in Princeton, WV, would sit with his mother, so Greg could continue to say mass at the two parishes in Princeton and Bluefield. Throughout his priesthood, Fr. Greg traveled to Milan, Italy, and was elected as the Secretary of Priests in the Company of St. Paul. For many years, he traveled to Long Island in the Bahamas to cover various churches for Christmas and Easter. He also covered many churches in West Virginia: St. Patrick’s in Hinton, Sacred Heart in Rainelle, Sacred Heart in Springdale; St. John in Marlinton, Sacred Heart in Williamson, St. Peter in Welch, Sts. Peter and Paul in Oak Hill, and St. John Neumann in Powhatan.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, July 21, 2023, from the Sacred Heart Catholic Church on 507 Harrison Street in Princeton with Bishop Mark Brennan as the celebrant. Interment will follow in the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery in Springdale, WV. Friends may visit with the family from 10 a.m., until the service hour at the church.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent in Father Lyttle’s name to: Amedysis Hospice Care, 545 Airport Rd., Suite 201, Bluefield, WV 24701.
Online condolences may be shared with the family via www.memorialfd.com
The Lyttle family is being served by the Memorial Funeral Directory and Cremation Center on Athens Road in Princeton, WV.
