Richard Charles Lyding, 80, of Middletown, Connecticut, died peacefully on January 29th, surrounded by his loving family.

Rick was born in Queens, New York, to Charles and Marion Lyding and grew up in Denville, New Jersey. After the loss of his father, he was blessed with a bonus dad, Omer DeWeese, who shared many years of memorable adventures with Rick, his brothers and grandchildren.

Rick proudly served his country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam era and received an honorable discharge. Following his military service, he began a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. He served as a police officer in Denville, New Jersey, before moving to Connecticut, where he became a Connecticut State Trooper. Rick worked at multiple troops throughout the state, spending most of his career at Troop K. After more than 20 years of dedicated service, he retired with the rank of Captain. After retirement, Rick continued working alongside some of his closest friends at Aetna, where he served as an Internal Audit Manager.

Rick was predeceased by his beloved son, Corey Lyding, and his brother, Joel Lyding.

He was married to the love of his life, Pam (McGrath) Lyding, for 53 wonderful years. He is survived by his brother, Keith Lyding (Cheryl); his three daughters, Kristy Walters (Patrick), Amy Goebel (Chris), and Erica Howe (Ryan); and his ten cherished grandchildren: Connor, Maggie, Brennan, Abbey, Sydney, Natalie, Lilly, Kenley, Charli, and Declan. Rick was especially looking forward to meeting his first great-grandson, expected to arrive this July. He also leaves behind nieces, nephews and numerous friends. We are especially grateful for Roger Gandolf, Ronald Nanfito, and Billy Cote for being there until the very end.

Rick loved coaching his children's sports teams and is fondly remembered by many from his time with Pop Warner football. In his free time, he enjoyed tackling his daily crossword puzzles, golfing with friends, fishing in the Catskills with his brothers and nephew, skiing at Burke Mountain in Vermont, and taking long walks with the many dogs he loved throughout his life.

Rick earned the affectionate nickname "the dog whisperer." He had a special bond with all of his dogs, especially King (his state police K-9), Lady, Molly, Divot, Banks, and Ringo.

 Rick was truly a people person. Everywhere he went, he made friends, and it is safe to say that everyone who met him loved him. He will forever be remembered for his dynamic personality, animated conversations, colorful language, gift of gab, generous spirit, kindness and favorite sayings: "Don't worry about it," and "No problem!" 

Burial, with military honors, will be held on Saturday (Sept. 5th) at 11 a.m. at Miner Cemetery, Middletown. All are welcome to join us as we gather to say our final goodbye to Rick. The family has also decided to decorate Rick’s casket with stickers that remind us of him and the things he loved. If you would like to add a sticker to his casket, please bring it with you to the burial. Memorial contributions may be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation at  https://t2t.org/  or CT Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111.