John R. “Jay” Lyston (also known as JR), passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 8th, 2023 at Oak Crest Retirement Community. Born in Baltimore in 1932, he had an undergraduate degree from Towson, and a masters from Northwestern. He always loved acting and was one of the founders of Essex Community College, where he started the theatre program and stayed until his retirement – 33 years. Jay was well-known in the Baltimore theatre community. He appeared in more plays at Theatre Hopkins than any other local actor, and in many other local productions. He had a talent for accents, especially English ones, and was extremely well read in literature classics, with a voluminous library.
Mr. Lyston is survived by his long-time English wife, Carol Mason-Lyston, who was also an actor and director. A memorial service will be held at Oak Crest Nottingham Gardens, 8832 Walther Blvd., 3rd floor Meeting Room, Parkville, MD 21234, on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 1 P.M. Messages of condolences may be left at www.schimunek-nottingham.com.
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