Roberta Wales Lyon

Roberta (Bobbe) Wales Lyon of Maitland, FL. went to her eternal reward on March 20, 2018. Ms. Lyon was born in Milwaukee, WI. on Jan. 8, 1934, the youngest of three children born to Edward J. Wales and Mary Frances Cassidy. Ms. Lyon was preceded in death by her brother, Edward J. Wales Jr., sister, Mary Margaret (Pegge) Wales, her husband, Thomas I. Lyon and two granddaughters, Jennifer Marie Cheney and Jeanette Marie Cheney. She and Thomas I. Lyon were married in 1959 in Milwaukee, WI. where Prof. Lyon was head of the Electrical Engineering Dept. at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. They had five children, Pamela, Thomas, Julia, Cynthia, and Timothy and eleven wonderful, talented grandchildren. Prof. and Mrs. Lyon moved to Florida in 1968 when Prof. Lyon went to work for the Martin Marietta Co. which later became Lockheed-Martin. Ms. Lyon brought La Leche League to Central Florida. She was soon New Groups Chairman for the state of Florida and instructed many mothers, and people in the medical community, in the lost art of breastfeeding their babies. Many hospitals, now have lactation professionals on staff as a result of La Leche League training. The group is international today and exists all over the world. Their manual, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, has been translated into many languages. Ms. Lyon was always active in Catholic Church ministries. She was Pres. Of the Christian Mothers Society at St.'s Peter and Paul and later as Team Leader for the non-medical Family, Friends and Chicken Soup ministry at St. Margaret Mary, both in Winter Park, FL. After her husband's untimely death at 55 years of age in 1981, Ms. Lyon returned to school. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from UCF and a Master's degree in Counseling at Rollins College. Both after the age of 45. Her children now dubbed her a "Psycho-Journalist” Ms. Lyon also held a certificate in Gerontology and was a Substance Abuse counselor. Ms. Lyon entered the world of Professional Speakers in 1989 with the founding of her company, Laughing Lyon, Ltd. A Therapeutic Humorist she considered the time spent speaking to diverse audiences about the benefits of appropriate humor some of the happiest times in her life. She was fond of saying, "Humor goes anywhere, and people just naturally want to lighten up.” She has brightened the lives of family and friends with her rich outlook on the many benefits of humor. Ms. Lyon wrote a course for the Elderhostel Organization on “The Many Faces of Humor” and was an Elderhostel instructor for over 20 years. She later updated and repeated the course at Rollins College Lifelong Learning Center. She has written three books on humor as well as numerous newspaper and magazine articles. The Growing Bolder Media Group bestowed its “Boldie” award on Bobbe for “The Power of Positivity.” In addition, she was an avid Jazz enthusiast from the Bebop era of the 50’s to the present day and belonged to the Central Florida Jazz Society. She served on many local boards, including the Central Florida Council for Florida House, the University Club of Winter Park, the National Association for Therapeutic Humor, and The Friends of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College. She was a member of the National Speaker’s Association. Ms. Lyon co-founded a networking group of cultural ambassadors called “For Art,” which was instrumental in heralding the many cultural institutions in Central Florida. But it was her work in the field of addiction prevention and recovery that made her proudest. Ms. Lyon was employed by the Florida Safety Council for over 30 years as a DUI Instructor for court ordered offenders. She often said she found her niche in the classroom. She enjoyed a close relationship with Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith for many years. Bobbe, as she was known to her friends, and that included everyone she met, loved to travel. She had visited all of the 50 states and 8 foreign countries. She always said she’d rather wear out than rust out. A celebration of her life will be held at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church.

AFTERGLOW

I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.

I’d like to leave an after glow of smiles when life is done.

I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,

of happy times and laughing times, of bright and sunny days.

I’d like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun.

Remember, I’m not really gone, I live in everyone.

Love always,

Mom, Grammy, Bobbe