Frank is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ursula (Maglio) Lyons; his two sons: Kevin J. Lyons and wife Karen, of Incline Village, NV and Timothy D. Lyons and wife Julie, of Austin, TX; his four grandchildren: Amanda, Bella, David and Waylon Lyons; and his dear "friends like family" Jessica, Frank, and their daughter Samantha Lu. He was the brother of Paul J. Lyons and uncle to Michael and Samantha Lyons, as well as uncle to David, Joseph, Gia and Elise Maglio, and Laura Maglio Sullivan.
Frank was born in 1938, in New Orleans, LA to Mary Josephine Lyons (nee Strupper), a 5th generation Texan from Fort Worth, TX and William James Lyons, of Duluth, MN. Frank’s mother, her sister Frances Weisner (his namesake), and his first cousin Joe Wiesner, all shared the same birth date of January 30th.
Frank spent his earliest years in New Orleans, before moving to Ohio, then Kentucky, and finally settling in St. Louis, MO with his mother and older brother Paul, after his parents divorced. While in St. Louis, they lived for a few years with his grandmother, Mabel Elise Strupper (nee Ryan), also originally of Fort Worth, TX. His Aunt Frances and his many cousins lived nearby.
Frank graduated from Mercy High in St. Louis 1955, and received a BSEE from St. Louis University in 1959. After graduating college, Frank worked for General Electric in Syracuse, NY, on the development of the Air Weapons Control System for Western Europe. He spent 2 ½ years in Germany in the 1960s working on the system tests, and integration of the system. During those years in Germany, Frank spent many weekends skiing the alps with friends, and he learned to speak German fluently; a skill he retained for the rest of his life. Upon returning to the States, Frank continued to work on defense-related activities with both Melpar and Raytheon in Wayland, MA. He went on to get a MSEE from Northeastern University. While in Massachusetts, he met his wife Ursula, whom he married in 1969. Frank spent the rest of his career in medical electronics beginning with 10 years with two start-ups (computer-based health testing and nuclear medicine diagnostic imaging), earning 2 patents, and the last 25 years of his career at Hewlett Packard and its descendants doing medical electronics as a technical contributor and a variety of management positions.
Frank was a loving and devoted husband to Ursula and father to his two sons. Frank and Ursula moved to Sudbury in 1969, and were active parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, where they formed many lifelong friendships. Frank had a loyalty to the Catholic faith; he gave credit to the nuns at St. Roch’s and Mercy High for helping to raise him during a time when he lived with a single parent.
Frank always put family first and was an active participant in his son’s lives. He volunteered throughout the years, from Indian Guides in elementary school to coaching the various sports his sons were involved in: baseball, basketball, and perhaps his favorite sport, football. Frank was a coach and mentor to many athletes in Sudbury during the 1980s; he commanded respect but had a patient and gentle manner with all kids, no matter their ability. He had a parallel commitment to education, and pushed his sons to work hard in sports, in school, and in life. His commitment to his family will be difficult to match. Despite growing up without a father present, Frank was an example of selflessness and family commitment when it came to his own children.
One of Frank’s personal hobbies was flying. Frank was a private pilot and learned to fly in the 1960s in Germany; he logged more than 1400 hours of flying throughout his life. Between 1986 and 2006, he was a flying “paper boy” delivering 500 general aviation newspapers once a month to 9 airports in New Hampshire. Frank donated a number of plane rides to charities and always offered to take anyone up for the thrill of a ride.
Frank was a strong believer in preserving the heritage and environment of the area around the Wayside Inn, which was where he lived. He led an effort to protect the 5-acre zoning in the area that was set to expire in the 1990s. Frank served as president of the Hop Brook Protection Association, vice president of the Massachusetts Congress of Lakes and Ponds and was a member of the Sudbury Ponds and Waterways Committee. Frank was also actively involved in the Retired Men’s Association (past president) and the Knights of Columbus (past Grand Knight).
Franks health declined over the past few years, but he always maintained a pleasant and caring demeanor even into his final days, during which his family was at his side. He will be remembered fondly, and missed by many.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 10:30 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Ascension Parish, 160 Concord Road, Sudbury, MA.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled at 12:00pm on Saturday May 4th, at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. Frank’s family invites any and all friends to come together for food, drinks, and to celebrate memories of a man who made a positive difference.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Angel Flight Northeast (https://www.angelflightne.org/, a non-profit which coordinates free air transportation for children and adults so they can access life saving medical care outside of their geographic area.) in Frank’s memory.
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