William Eyring of Hauppauge: Mets fan adored his family
When the Mets were created in 1962, they found a lifelong fan in William Eyring, a starting pitcher for his high school and college baseball teams. Credit: Brian Eyring
When a snowstorm hit Long Island on Mets Opening Day a few years ago, William Eyring was undeterred.
Eyring and his son made the drive from Hauppauge to Queens, only to find there was no parking at Citi Field. They ended up leaving their car at the New York Hall of Science, walking a mile to the stadium to get there in time for the third inning.
"His love of baseball was next level. That was a love he instilled in me, a love and appreciation for how sports can bring people together," said son Brian Eyring, of Little Ferry, New Jersey. "To get to the ballpark and enjoy a nice day out was a great time for us to bond as a family."
Eyring, an entrepreneur and sports fan who was happiest when surrounded by family, died April 16 of complications from COVID-19. He was 72.
Born in 1947, Eyring grew up going to Dodgers and Yankees games. When the Mets were created in 1962, they found a lifelong fan in Eyring, a starting catcher for his high school and college baseball teams who had honed his skills playing stickball on the streets of Brooklyn and Queens.
After graduating from St. Francis College, Eyring went into accounting, working as a CPA. But he longed for a challenge, and in the late '80s, he founded Lamp Software, a tech company based in Hauppauge that wrote assessment software and created databases for various industries making the switch to PCs.
"The best challenge he found was creating databases. He loved to create things," said his wife, Jo Ann Eyring. "The work he put in creating these databases is remarkable."
In addition to his role as an entrepreneur, Eyring was a dedicated father, building sets for his children’s school plays, coaching their sports teams and pushing to have parent teacher conferences moved to the evening so he could attend.
"He was just a champion for us and wanted us to be the best. He was always there for us," said his daughter Michelle Eyring, of Bay Shore. "He really wanted us to succeed and pushed us to be the most well-educated people we could be."
A New York City schoolteacher, Michelle would call her dad on the car ride home after stressful days. Every Friday, they would meet for dinner, where he would ask about her students by name.
"He was so actively involved in wanting to know every single thing about my students and would help me set up my classroom," Michelle Eyring said. "He would remember my students by name and … buy them school supplies and offer to buy them pizza if they did a good job or after state tests."
He loved going out to eat with friends and family at local restaurants and took immense pride in his lawn. He was also an avid golfer, occasionally spending the night at the course in the back of his Ford Aerostar if he had an early tee time.
"The simple things really gave him a lot of joy," Michelle Eyring said. "Going out to eat or just watching a Mets or Islanders game at home while reading a book. He was a simple guy. There’s nothing more he liked than having us around him."
In addition to his wife, daughter and son, Eyring is survived by two daughters, Catherine Cole and Elizabeth Perrone, and one grandson, Benjamin. Services were held and the family hopes to hold a memorial in the future.
