Lyle Wilfred Fleury
ST. ALBANS: Lyle Wilfred Fleury, age 81, known to friends as Jay, passed away on February 17, 2023. He was born in Springfield, MA, on October 21, 1941, the son of Wilfred and Hilda (Turner) Fleury.
As a toddler, Jay was taken in by his paternal grandparents, Fred and Louise Fleury, who were also raising four of Fred’s nieces and nephews, one of whom Jay referred to lovingly as his “aunt” and as he grew older, as his sister. He was reportedly wonderful to his grandmother and drew early inspiration and life direction from his “aunt” and Gladys Neiburg who owned an antique store in town and taught him many things about life in addition to antiques and business.
After high school, Jay lived in D.C. from 1962 to 1971 where he was the Director of the Metropolitan International YMCA. He was especially proud of his work with International Crossroads, an organization that brought in noteworthy people from around the country and the world to give talks on various topics, long before TED Talks spread across the internet. Many of his fondest stories came from this period as he met and coordinated with so many fascinating people in connection to this project.
In D.C, Jay developed a civic and political interest that followed him all the way back to his last decades in St. Albans. He worked on Nixon’s first successful presidential run and attended the White House tree lighting ceremony the following year before falling out with the administration. He worked primarily for the Army during his final time in D.C., which was foundational to his care and concern for Veterans’ issues throughout the rest of his life.
Concurrently, he was also a founding member of the St. Albans Historical Society from afar and continued to be very devoted to the preservation of local history.
In the many years between D.C. and coming home, Jay couldn’t settle on doing just one thing. While in Massachusetts, he worked in a variety of roles, from being a barber and owning salons to running high-end clothing stores and selling antiques and jewelry. He was even a lay brother at a Franciscan Monastery for a while. At various other points, Jay was a makeup artist in Hollywood and dabbled in modeling and dancing at different times and locations.
His surprisingly wild side of dancing and fine drinks in combination with his reputation for edgy or dark humor was a stark contrast to his contemplative life of yoga and daily meditation and prayer. His deep Catholic faith was contrasted by his reading of auras and keeping company with psychics and his curmudgeonly warmth added to his mystique and inability to be labeled or put into a box.
In the early 2000s, he returned to his hometown, St. Albans, permanently and wanted to get reinvolved in the community. He loved to support the Humane Society and kept a cast of regal cats in his life for many years. He joined the Knights of Columbus and the Masons, as he was inclined to be a part of any group that aimed to help the community in some way. He also joined the Chamber of Commerce, being named Person of the Year shortly after. He helped found the St. Albans Artists’ Guild, the St. Albans Literary Guild, as well as the St. Albans Society for the Performing Arts. This group is thankful for the devoted steerage he encouraged to all involved, including fundraisers, writers, directors, musicians, actors, backstage artists, and crew members. They were able to complete three astounding musicals for this area: Camelot, My Fair Lady, and Gypsy. He also produced and guided Pauline Cray in the creation of The Festival of Trees, an annual Christmastime community event and charity fundraiser which is still in existence over 14 years later.
Jay was a founding member of St. Albans for the Future, which initiated the dialogue that reinvigorated St. Albans into the vibrant small city that we love today.
In spite of such lengthy, behind-the-scenes involvements, Jay is perhaps most recognized and remembered for patronizing the Traveled Cup and many other local shops nearly every day and walking Main Street wearing one of several notable hats, coats, or canes depending on the weather. In his final few years, Jay donned a blue walker, some tenacity, and chutzpah to venture around town in almost any weather, no matter how long it took him to get around to each store. He absolutely loves St. Albans and wants you to continue loving it for him. He is remembered by his two half-sisters, Bonnie Ungerecht of Nogales, AZ, and Pam Merrill of Apache Junction, AZ, his half-brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Cathie Palazzi of Zephyrhills, FL; two of his adopted siblings, Jack Fleury of Colchester, VT, and “Aunt”-sister Sherley Fleury (Pamela Skelly) of New Braunfels, TX; nieces, nephews, cousins, and loving friends all across the country. A Remembrance Gathering and Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1 pm Thursday, May 4th, 2023 at Holy Angels Church. Interment will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery. A jovial celebration of life at the St. Albans Historical Museum, Bliss Auditorium, will be at approximately 3 pm. As an alternative to flowers, Jay would instead love your memorials in the form of donations to the St. Albans Historical Museum, which he loved to patronize.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Brady & Levesque Funeral Home, where fond memories, stories, and the ways Jay inspired you may be shared with his family and friends on Jay’s Tribute wall at www.bradyandlevesque.com
