Obituary: Lawrence Earl “Lefty” Sayah
February 20, 1939 – October 30, 2023
November 3, 2023
Lawrence "Lefty" Sayah, 1939-2023. Courtesy photo
WATERBURY — Lawrence Earl “Lefty” Sayah, 84, passed away unexpectedly in his home Monday, October 30, 2023. Born in Montpelier on February 20, 1939, he was the son of the late Earl I. Sayah and Pauline (Buck) Sayah. On May 27, 1961, he married Frances “Fran” (Whittemore) Sayah and they were blessed with 56 years of marriage until her passing in 2017.
Lefty was a graduate of the Class of 1957 at Waterbury High School. Following graduation, he was a member of the Vermont National Guard. In his earlier years, he worked at several local establishments including Smith’s Store, Frank and Bud’s Service Station, and Capital Candy Company. Lefty worked for Coca-Cola Enterprises for 40-plus years on the road as a service technician where he loved meeting new people every day.
He retired in 2002 at which time he could focus on the things that meant most to him – his family, community and Waterbury politics.
He delighted in wearing t-shirts that referenced his grandchildren or the superiority of being left-handed. Lefty was happiest when he was circling the town during his daily drive around Waterbury in his van making sure that all was well, sitting on his porch on Randall Street talking to his neighbors or most anyone that passed by, and he never had a quick trip to the grocery store because he always ended up involved in multiple conversations.
He was a longtime member of the Waterbury Village Trustees from 1996-2018, and then he served as a commissioner of the Edward Farrar Utility District from 2018 to 2023.
He was someone who people always turned to with their concerns about town issues because they knew he would listen. Even though he always had stories to share, he was always willing to listen to others. In March 2017, Lefty was presented with the Keith Wallace Community Service Award for his dedication to the community at Town Meeting.
Lefty is loved and mourned by his children, Jeff Sayah of Moretown and Julie Motch and her husband Franklin of Waterbury Center; his son-in-law, Tom Lamb, of Plymouth, New Hampshire; three grandchildren, Jacob Lamb, of Plymouth, New Hampshire, and Sam and Elizabeth Motch, of Waterbury Center; two sisters, Margaret Tatro of Wolcott, Betty Langsam and her husband Joe of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and four brothers, Jim Sayah of Meriden, Connecticut, Bob Sayah and his wife Barbara of North Haledon, New Jersey, Will Sayah of Waterbury Center, and Charlie Sayah and his wife Margo of Waterbury Center. Lefty was predeceased by his daughter Vicki Lamb and his sister Arlene Sutton.
In honor of Lefty’s commitment to the Waterbury community, in lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund online at waterburycast.org/donate or by mail to 8 North Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05676.
A celebration of the life of Lawrence “Lefty” Sayah will be held at St. Leo’s Hall at 109 South Main St., Waterbury, on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. We will be sharing memories and stories about Lefty at 1:30 p.m. and invite all to share their memories as well. For those not wanting to share memories publicly, we invite you to write down your memories and stories.
Assisting the family is the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. Online condolences may be made at perkinsparker.com.