Tom M. Lytton

Tom Lytton, of Moline, IL, passed away Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at UPH in Rock Island. He will be remembered as a loyal friend, a fair and thoughtful judge, and a loving husband, father, and grandfather.   

Funeral services will be at held at 10:30 AM on Monday, May 22, 2023, at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, Rock Island, IL. This event will be livestreamed and can be viewed at the following link, www.wheelanpressly.com/live-stream. Burial will be in Davenport Jewish Cemetery on Fairmount. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Temple Emanuel (Davenport, IA), WVIK Public Radio, or the Figge Museum of Art.

Tom was born on October 6, 1943, to Beverly (Stewart) and Julius Lytton. He attended school in Moline and Bettendorf and graduated from Bettendorf High School in 1961. Tom attended Northwestern University, where he was elected president of his senior class, and then graduated from Northwestern Law School.

Tom was passionate about fairness in the legal system. He volunteered at VISTA in West Virginia and then worked at Legal Services in Pittsburgh, PA. Tom returned to the Quad Cities and practiced law with his father in East Moline for 19 years. He was then elected to his dream job on the Third District Appellate Court of the State of Illinois where he became a model and mentor to others. He served on the Illinois Continuing Education Committee and the Law and Literature Committee and as the president of the Council of Chief Judges of State Appellate Courts. He was awarded the Honorable Richard J. Elrod Public Service Award from the Jewish Judges Association of Illinois in 2018. Tom was a member of the Illinois Bar Association for over 50 years.

Tom was active at Temple Emanuel in Davenport, rekindling and nurturing the Temple’s youth group, as well as serving several terms on the Board of Trustees.

Tom will be remembered as a wonderful listener, a kind and gentle person with a sly sense of humor, and a passionate reader who never forgot an author, title, or story.

Tom leaves behind his wife, Mary Lind; daughter, Emilie Lytton (Brian Dout), and granddaughter Ruth.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.wheelanpressly.com.

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