Robert Alan Lyons

Born May 10, 1952, he grew up in Meadowmere Park, New York, where he spent days swimming in Jamaica Bay with his brothers Marc and Gary. After the passing of his mother at a young age, Bob and his brothers were raised by their loving grandparents alongside their cousins, Wendy, Danny, Larry, and Caryn. Although unconventional, Bob’s childhood, despite its tragedies and challenges, was spent surrounded by the wonders and beauties of brotherhood, family, and community, and fueled by his innate curiosity and kindness. Even then, he knew the importance of humor and friendship.

He eventually graduated from Lawrence High School in 1970 before attending Hudson Valley Community College and later SUNY Cortland, where he created lifelong friendships and made countless memories, half of which you’d never believe. Later in his life, Bob and his friends from Cortland established the 40 Years of Friendship Scholarship, providing financial aid to students in need.

After graduating, Bob travelled to visit friends he had made all over the country, while making new ones along the way. He went on to become a distinctive, enthusiastic (although sometimes unsuccessful) salesman, bringing encyclopedias, Rainbow vacuum cleaners, and more into people’s homes. Eventually, he discovered his calling as a financial broker in the early 80s, starting on Wall Street before finding a professional home at The GMS Group. Along with friendships and purpose, Bob found success taking care of his clients every day while mentoring young brokers at his firm. It was there that Bob also fell in love with his loving wife, Elysa, who he married in 1995.

Bob spent much of his life in Hoboken, New Jersey, where along with his wife, he created enviable, lasting bonds with wonderful friends while frequenting places like Texas, Arizona, The Brass Rail, and Dino & Harry’s. His stories became legendary, and the only thing he liked better than telling a story, was listening to a better one.

After the birth of their daughter, Samantha, Bob and Elysa moved up the bluff to Weehawken to continue to build their family and partnership, welcoming their son, Jason, a few years later.

As his family grew and his friendships blossomed, Bob’s heart only grew larger and stronger. He relished all of life’s moments from baseball games to birthday parties, from calls with his clients to weekends with the Cortland boys, from impressive drives on the golf course to putts he missed by a mile, from trips to Anguilla to time spent in bed with his beautiful wife, waiting for her to fall asleep so he could watch the end of John Wick or an episode of Gunsmoke.

His loss makes the world feel dim and cold, but his memory will bring warmth and courage and laughter to all who knew him and even to those who are lucky to hear just one of his many, many improbable stories.

Bob truly loved his friends, of which there were so many, and his family more than anything else in the world. Bob is survived by his older brother, Marc, his cousins, Danny, Larry, and Caryn, and by his wife, Elysa, his daughter, Sami, and his son, Jason.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to SUNY Cortland's 40 Years of Friendship Scholarship Fund, a need-based award which Bob helped to create with the mission of supporting less-fortunate students in their pursuit of a college education, ultimately returning the favor to those who helped him at the school he loved. Link here: https://www.reddragonnetwork.org/Lyons

Thank you.

A Funeral Service will be held at Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, 402 Park Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, US, on March 26, 2026, at 9:30 am.

A Committal Service will be held at Beth El Cemetery, 735 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652, US, on March 26, 2026, at 11:15 am.