Philip J. Ledwith, 96, beloved husband of Albina (Zaranka) Ledwith of Hartford, passed away peacefully, April 2, 2016 in Hartford Hospital. He was born in Hartford on August 18, 1919, son of the late Philip A. and Mary Ellen (Mitchell) Ledwith. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps at the age of 15, and learned to drive and operate heavy equipment at a young age. During WW II, he joined the US Army, 35th Infantry, 25th Division serving in the Asia-Pacific Theater. Phil was awarded two bronze stars, one during the Guadalcanal campaign and one during the Northern Solomons campaign. When he returned, he joined the US Postal Service as a letter carrier. He married Albina on August 21st, 1948. At that time, they lived in the Frog Hollow section of Hartford where they made many lifelong friendships. Phil loved big band music and was active in planning swing dances and social activities from the 50’s to 70’s. He built the family home on Freeman St in 1959, where he raised his family and enjoyed the rest of his life. In the early 60’s he became a co-owner of the Summit Hill Grille for over 20 years. It was there that Phil made many friends and also sponsored Men’s and Women’s softball and baseball teams. He also sponsored the Summit’s annual Bus Trip to Fenway Park for the Yankee-Red Sox game, which included a visit to Boston’s landmark, The Cask N Flagon. Phil was a big Yankee fan and told stories of seeing the Babe, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and others over the years. He was an active member of the Hannon-Hatch VFW Post 9929, American Legion Post 123 and the Hartford BPOE #19. After selling the Summit Hill, Phil returned to the Postal Service and retired in 1987, after which he and Albina spent the next 20 winters in Deerfield Beach, FL . Phil was a devoted husband and father and found great joy being with his grandchildren. He was an excellent pool and card player, and enjoyed socializing with friends and family. He looked forward to seeing his friends at the VFW where he went every Saturday up until couple weeks ago. He also enjoyed just sitting on his back deck enjoying a Bud with his neighbor John.
Besides his wife, “Binnie”, Phil leaves his daughter, Linda Ledwith of Nags Head, North Carolina, his son, Philip Ledwith and his wife Kathleen of Old Saybrook and three grandchildren, Philip Max, Kelly and Kristy Ledwith, all of Old Saybrook, and his cat Gwen. He was predeceased by a sister, Margaret Langevin and two brothers, Edward and Joseph Ledwith. He also leaves several nieces and nephews. Friends may visit the Ledwith family from 4-7 pm TODAY at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Rd. Wethersfield, CT. The funeral will be held at 10:15am Wednesday April 6, 2016, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am in St. Lawrence O’Toole Church, 494 New Britain Ave. Hartford, CT. Burial with military honors will be in Mount St. Benedict Cemetery, 1 Cottage Grove Rd. Bloomfield, CT. To extend online condolences or to share a story, please visit farleysullivan.com.

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