Stephen Lloyd Wythe

Stephen (Steve) Lloyd Wythe passed away peacefully at the age of 90 on Friday, November 13, 2015, in Maryville, TN. He was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, on October 13, 1925, the third of Frederick and Blanche Wythe’s four children, and he spent his childhood in Queens, NY, and rural Connecticut. He was a member of US Army Company H. 273rd Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division and was stationed in Germany from 1944 to 1946. He saw combat as a machine gunner from January to May 1945 and was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery in battle. He loved Germany and the German people and returned there several times during peacetime. Steve attended Columbia University in New York, where he was class valedictorian in 1950. He continued his education at the University of Michigan and back to Columbia University, where he received his PhD in organic chemistry. It was in Michigan where he met Patricia (Pat) Hogan, and they were married soon thereafter and moved to Westfield, NJ, which is where they raised their five children. From 1953 to 1982 he was employed by Exxon Corporation, where in the 1960s he managed domestic plastics and lube additives business. He participated in creating and managing Exxon’s corporate research program in the 1970s. After retirement from Exxon, Steve ran his own consulting business until 1997. He spent most of his retirement years with his wife Pat in Pickens, SC. Steve had a keen interest in the world around him. He delighted in meeting new people, researching the history of the many places he visited, gazing through his telescope, hiking, gardening, cooking, corresponding, and reading. For the past 8 years he has been a resident of Knoxville, TN. While there, he was an active member of Grigsby Chapel United Methodist Church. Steve’s beloved wife Pat Wythe preceded him in death. He was a loving father to daughter Shirley Beasley and her husband Randy; sons Stephen and his wife Marilyn, David and his wife Lynn, Scott and his wife Isabel, and Chris and his wife Tracy. He was a very proud and devoted grandfather of 12 grandchildren, great-grandfather of 15, and great-great-grandfather of 2. Burial will be private. Memorial donations may be made to: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons’ Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Stephen Lloyd Wythe please visit our Sympathy Store.