Charles "Jerry" Tydlacka

On March 22, 2024 Charles “Jerry” Tydlacka passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his wife, Eileen Capshaw Tydlacka and his daughter Mary Schwartz (Jay). He is also survived by his two granddaughters, Meghan and Ali, and his sister Victoria Bakker as well as Eileen’s children, Kate Capshaw (Steve Smith), Dan Capshaw (Linnea), Ted Capshaw (Angel), Elizabeth Stevenson, and Jane O’Keefe (Jonathan). In addition he is survived by Eileen’s grandchildren, Joe, Grace, Liam, Nola, Jaxon, Maxwell, Kendall, Jaden, Trey, Ava, Connor and Riley. He was preceded in death by his parents Victor and Alice Tydlacka and loving sister Edwina Buttrick.

Jerry was born on March 9, 1943 in Fort Worth, Texas. His father was a Captain in the Coast Guard which allowed Jerry and his two sisters to spend their childhood years in many places from Juneau Alaska to Marblehead Massachusetts. He attended The Peddie School in Hightstown New Jersey where he made life-long friends and loved playing on the baseball team. After graduating from college, he moved to Maryland where he met his first wife, Mary Jo, and welcomed his daughter Mary. Jerry and Mary Jo moved to Columbia with the dream of starting a family in this new diverse planned community. They were very involved in Columbia and a huge presence at St. John’s and enjoyed traveling and spending time with extended family in Cape Cod, Chicago, and Florida.

Jerry worked for many years in computer software, developing programs at Goddard Space Center and later at the Space Telescope Science Institute on the repair of the Hubble telescope. However, the job that brought him the most joy was his “retirement” job with the Baltimore Orioles where he spent twenty

years as an usher and the O’s most devoted fan. He absolutely loved going to work for every home game, and rarely missed one.

Jerry was an avid lover of all sports. Whether he was cheering for his daughter on the soccer field or playing tennis and softball well into his 70’s. He never lost his passion for sports, his competitive spirit, or his astonishing ability to remember all sports related facts and statistics.

In 2000, Jerry met Eileen at St. John’s. After a time, they fell in love and married in 2006. Jerry and Eileen were devoted to one another and were blessed to have had a beautiful marriage of close to eighteen years. They were able to enjoy their blended family as it grew to include 14 grandchildren and were able to travel throughout this country and overseas.

Jerry was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend to many. He had a generous spirit and cared deeply about issues important to those in need. He loved his church and its liturgy. He was a kind, gentle soul and will be dearly missed by so many.

A Mass of Resurrection will be held on Monday April 1, 2024 at 12 noon at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia, Maryland 21044. Burial will follow at Columbia Memorial Park.

Feel free to wear your favorite Orioles attire in honor of Jerry if you desire!

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital www.stjude.org or the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org