Beloved husband and father John F. (Jack) Lyons, 94, died in his home in Norwalk on October 27, with family at his bedside. Mr. Lyons was a lifelong resident of the city; born here on February 6, 1924, he was the son of the late William J. Lyons and Mary B. Lyons. In his retirement, he lived in Hobe Sound, Florida.
A graduate of Norwalk High School, The University of Notre Dame and Yale Law School, he served as Norwalk’s prosecuting attorney and a judge of Norwalk City Court. Mr. Lyons was a member and former president of the Norwalk-Wilton Bar Association. He practiced law for almost thirty years until he was elected president and CEO of First Federal Savings and Loan in 1975. He was chosen for membership on the Attorney’s Committee of the United States League of Savings Association and served as Director of the Connecticut League of Savings Association as well as a Trustee of People’s Savings Bank.
An active participant in his community, Jack was member and former president of the Norwalk Catholic Club and a member and former director of the Shorehaven Golf Club. Additionally, he was a member of Shore and Country Club, Yale Golf Course, and Eaglewood Country Club. Mr. Lyons had a keen interest in local politics. A Republican, he was a member of the Norwalk Republican Town Committee and—for six years—Chairman of the Ward C Republican Committee. As chairman, he supported John Shostak and Frank Cooke as mayoral candidates and directed their successful campaigns—the only successive win by Republican mayoral candidates over a period of 56 years. Mr. Lyons resigned from the town committee after Frank Cooke’s election and reduced his participation in politics following his marriage and the birth of his four daughters. In 1979, he began serving two consecutive terms on Norwalk’s Board of Education. A constant supporter of special education, he also served as president of the regional governing board of Cooperative Educational Services.
Above all else, Jack treasured his family. During family gatherings, he would often look around the room and say “How lucky am I.” He is survived by his devoted wife, Nica–the love of his life with whom he shared a 54-year marriage–and by his four daughters who shared his love. His family includes Catherine Lyons Piorkowski and her husband Edward of Darien, Deborah Lyons Ward and her husband John of Wildwood, MO, Anne Lyons of Stamford, and Karen Lyons Foster and her husband Shawn of Norwalk. He was blessed with nine grandchildren: Hope Piorkowski; Matt, Sarah, Kevin and Michael Ward; and Morgan, Jack, Ian and Thomas Foster. Following his wishes, a private funeral mass was held at St Thomas Church in Norwalk. In a nod to his Irish heritage, his wish was to be remembered not with sadness–but fondly with joy and laughter–as a tribute to a long life that was filled with love.
Additionally, the family would like to thank Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County and his special caregivers for their support and compassion.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to ARI of Connecticut (https://arict.org).