Donald Paul Lyons' Obituary
Donald Paul Lyons of Annapolis, MD passed away on July 22, 2023. He was born on June 26, 1935 in Harrisburg, PA to the late Russell A. and Romaine (Shields) Lyons. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Margaret Louise Brown; his sisters, Rhoda L. Kepner and Dorothy L. Stewart; and his brother Richard Lyons. He is survived by his loving wife, Patrice Walsh Lyons; son, Scott W. Lyons, daughter-in-law, Heather Mauro Lyons; and his beloved granddaughter, Riley Catherine Lyons. Riley and her Pap were very best friends. He is also survived by nieces and nephews.
Don graduated from Harrisburg High School. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. His final duty station was at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., also known as "8th and I". His education includes a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State, an M.S. in General Engineering from Penn State, and an M.S. in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He spent a number of years as an engineer for Pennsylvania Power and Light. He then was an Assistant Professor at Penn State, Hazleton, where he taught electronic engineering, electrical engineering, and nuclear engineering. He worked for a time at the David Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center in Annapolis. He then spent a number of years working for the Army Corp of Engineers as a Senior Engineer. Final employment was with NSA from which he retired. He continued to be actively involved in engineering after his retirement as agencies requested his assistance with a variety of projects. Don's excellence in engineering was well documented. He was twice awarded the Superior Civilian Service Award for "Exceptionally Meritorious Achievement" by the Department of the Army. He was also awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Defense Intelligence Agency for "Groundbreaking Work on Electric Power Network Modeling." Don loved his family. He was known to be a private, quiet, thoughtful, kind man. He collected toy trains and enjoyed traveling to see the sights in the United States and other countries. He and Patrice would have celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary on August 3rd. A viewing will be held on Monday, July 31, 2023 from 5 pm - 7 pm at Lasting Tributes Cremation and Funeral Care located at 814 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 10:30 am at St. John Neumann Catholic Church located at 620 N. Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401. Burial will be held at a later date at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery located at 60 Indiantown Gap Road, Annville, PA 17003. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Tunnels To Towers Foundation, or to a charity of your choice.
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