James F. Byrne

Photograph courtesy of LehighValleyLive - Warren County News - August 7, 2017

"...Who was James Byrne?

Before he was an Army captain, James F. Byrne grew up in Phillipsburg. He went to work at age 16 to support his mother and siblings, said Haas, relating information he gathered from Byrne’s children — now adults — and his own research.

In 1942, when he was two years into Phillipsburg High School, Byrne went to Easton to enlist with the U.S. Army. He and his two brothers both served and returned home safely at the end of World War II. During his service, Byrne was stationed in Reykjavik, Iceland, and near Manilla Bay in the Philippines, according to Haas and Byrne’s children.

“My father was a quiet and humble man. He didn’t say very much about his years in the service,” said Eileen Cummings.
However, she and her siblings always looked forward to their father’s reunions with his Army “brothers” every three years. Byrne’s colonel, A.J. Wannamaker, would host a special dinner in which the wives were given gifts and the children received chocolates.

“His Army buddies were a great group of gentlemen,” Cummings said. “We had great times with these wonderful families and always hated when our time with them came to an end.”

Byrne met his wife at a USO dance in Bethlehem, her hometown, their daughter said. After the war, they got married in Bethlehem and settled down in Phillipsburg, where the three children were all raised. They have since moved away for college, marriage or business and now reside around the country.

Byrne worked at and later owned The Hillcrest Shop in town, selling cards and gifts, Cummings said. He eventually bought the store building from Ingersoll Rand, and some time after that, went to work for I-R himself.

He retired due to declining health, and died from a heart attack at age 59.

“My father was a wonderful and devoted family man who provided us with a wonderful life and role model,” Cummings said. “His excellent work ethic, generosity, commitment to community, gentle nature were life lessons we saw on a daily basis. The same can be said of my mother. We were so fortunate to have parents who loved each other so deeply and provided us with a happy home life.”

Excerpt from article on LehighValleyLive.com on August 7, 2017 written by Steve Novak.