Dr. James M. Lommel Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Dr. James Myles Lommel, age 90, of Concord MA, recently of Niskayuna, passed away on June 25, 2022 at Lahey Hospital, Burlington, MA, after a short illness. He was born on February 7, 1932 in Skokie, Illinois to Dr. Edward J. Lommel and Florence Judge Lommel. Jim received his BS and MS in Metallurgy from the Illinois Institute of Technology, followed by a PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard University. Jim began his 58 year career with General Electric in 1957 where he was a metallurgist at the GE Research Laboratory in Niskayuna. He worked for the Information Sciences Lab, and was the Manager of the Whitney Information Services. Jim received nine patents and authored 19 technical reports while at GE. He was also a Past President of the IEEE Magnetics Society and Past Chairman of the Magnetism and Magnetic Materials Conference and the Intermag conference. He married Mary Ann Ryan, who predeceased him, in 1959 and raised a family in Niskayuna. Survivors include his daughters, Joan Mintz of Harvard, MA and Patricia Bruttomesso of Concord, MA; their husbands, Michael Mintz and Raymond Bruttomesso; and his cherished grandchildren, Thomas Bruttomesso, Elizabeth Bruttomesso, Alan Mintz, and Brian Mintz. He is survived by his sister Maureen Bannon of Geneva, IL; Jim was predeceased by his sister Eleanor Knauf of Glenview, IL. Jim was active in several local cultural organizations, beginning with the Schenectady Civic Players in 1957 where he specialized in lighting design. He was a driving force behind the restoration of Proctors Theater in the late 1970s, and served as President of Proctors and as a member of the Operations Committee for numerous years. Most recently Jim was a Trustee of MiSci – Museum of Science and Innovation, the Treasurer of the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra, and a lector and Finance Committee member of St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish. Jim was fascinated by genealogy, and spent much time researching his family history, especially that of his Luxembourg-born grandfather. He loved gardening and took great pride in the Anaheim chilies he grew and transformed into his special "Niskayuna Red Sauce". Travel and trains were also important to Jim - he enjoyed traveling in the US and Europe, along with the experience of driving a streetcar at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME and as a guest engineer at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. and Museum in Portland, ME. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Mass of Christian Burial, which will be celebrated Thursday, June 30, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church, 1803 Union Street. Calling hours will be Wednesday, June 29 from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Gleason Funeral Home, 730 Union Street. Burial will be in Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, Niskayuna.

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Dr. James M. Lommel

February 7, 1932 - June 25, 2022