SCARBOROUGH – Charles Michael Lyons, 68, died Aug. 22, 2012. He was born April 6, 1944, in Manchester, N.H., the son of Philip R. Lyons and Jane Burke Lyons.
He lived in New Hampshire until his family moved to Madison in 1955. He was a 1962 graduate of Madison High School and went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where he was a member of the varsity football team that lost only two games in his four years. He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Hartford and a doctoral degree from Boston University. He served on the faculty of the University of Southern Maine from 1973 to 1996. In 1996 he was appointed president of the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He served at Fort Kent until 2001. From 2001 to 2006 Lyons was the president of the University of Maine at Augusta. He was awarded the title of professor emeritus of the University of Southern Maine in 2006. In 2006 he became the president of York County Community College. He served in this role until his death. He loved his time at York County Community College and was particularly proud of his team and the growth they oversaw as enrollment more than doubled between 2006 and 2011. He was married for 45 years to Barbara Davis Lyons, a teacher in Sanford for more than 20 years. He devoted his life to his five children and their academic and athletic pursuits.
Charlie was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his three daughters, Meghan Lyons of South Portland, Hanna Lyons and Sadie Lyons, both of Scarborough; two sons, Kevin Lyons of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Mike Lyons and his wife, Ramsey, of Pittsburgh; two sisters, Bette Brook and her husband, Ronald, of Scarborough and Kathy Gryglas and her husband, Ronald, of Scarborough; three grandchildren, True Lyons, Lulu Lyons and Davis Mercer Lyons; and his aunt, Jane Renaud.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial visitation 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charles’ memory to Hillman Cancer Center, Stanley Marks Research and Development Fund, UPMC Cancer Pavilion, 1B, 5150 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.ctcrawford.com.
Charles Michael Lyons
