Elaine Christine Northam Lydon, 79, of St. Louis, MO passed away on April 23, 2023 after a six-year battle with recurrent lung cancer. Recent widow of Tom Lydon; beloved mother of John (Colleen) of Jacksonville, FL and Chris (Kara) of St. Louis; beloved Nonnie of Patrick, Ryan, Riley, Delaney, Kate and Sullivan.  Elaine was the first child of Jack and Louise Northam, who preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister Jo (Greg) Russell and her brothers John (Chris) Northam and Ross Northam.  Elaine was a loving and cherished cousin, aunt and friend and will be dearly missed.

Elaine was born in Florida and then raised in Manhattan Kansas and Kalamazoo, Michigan where she started at Western Michigan University.  She left to start her career in fashion, studying at Tobe – Coburn in New York and then working for Famous Barr, traveling internationally as a buyer.  She met Tom in St. Louis, and in 1969 they were married.  Next, Tom’s jobs took them to Washington DC, New York City, and Columbus, Ohio.  In 1979 they moved to the Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields where they planted roots for the next 17 years to raise their boys.  Elaine was always invested in her children’s schools and their parishes as a regular volunteer and active member of their communities.  She also completed her college degree while in Chicago.  In 1995, they returned to St. Louis where they spent the next 10 years reuniting with many close friends and family. In 2005, Tom and Elaine retired and moved to St. Joseph, Michigan where many great memories were created watching sunsets over Lake Michigan with friends and family.  In 2017, they returned to St. Louis to be closer to family and excellent healthcare. 

With Elaine’s fashion background and other talents, she taught sewing classes early on.  That passion led to quilting, where she spent much of her time creating and sharing her own works of art with others. She was deeply involved with the annual Krasl Art Fair in St. Joseph, MI, volunteering her time and talent for others.

In 2015, Elaine’s focus shifted to caring for Tom, who was diagnosed with dementia.  Through this journey, Elaine showed incredible advocacy and caring by learning about the disease and how she needed to prepare Tom, herself and her family.  In 2017, these plans were complicated with Elaine’s own cancer diagnosis, but that rarely slowed Elaine’s acts of kindness and intent focus on Tom’s well-being.  Up until Tom’s death in November 2022, Elaine persevered through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and experimental clinical trials while still maintaining focus on Tom.

Now, Elaine is finally reunited with Tom, both free of their worldly diseases, watching sunsets together.   

Visitation is 10:00am and the Funeral is 11:00am on Saturday May 20, 2023 at Mary, Mother of the Church, 5901 Kerth Rd, St. Louis, MO 63128. Everyone is invited to a reception to celebrate Elaine’s life in the Church’s reception hall immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, Elaine requested a memorial donation to help the fight against dementia in the name of Tom Lydon.

https://www.alz.org/greatermissouri