David M. Lyon

Lyon, David M. Age 93, long time resident of La Grange, Illinois died peacefully on September 27, 2011, in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Dave was born on March 17, 1918 in Chicago to Leverett S. and Helen Lucille Lyon. Dave spent most of his childhood in Washington D.C. He loved scouting and spent many enjoyable summers at Chimney Rock camp in North Carolina, first as a camper and then as a counselor. During World War II, Dave worked for Dr. E. J. Workman and assisted in the development of the proximity fuse, cited by General George Patton as the decisive factor in the Allies' victory in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, Dave completed his undergraduate studies in engineering at the University of New Mexico. Following graduation in 1948, he joined Electro Motive Division, General Motors in McCook, Illinois and worked there until his retirement in 1983. In 1950 he married Dorothy Ann Bergquist and in 1953 he built the house in La Grange where he lived for 57 years and raised his three children, James, Jean, and David. In 1953 he was awarded a Sloan Fellowship to attend the Executive Development Program at MIT from which he graduated in 1954 with a Masters of Science degree in Business Administration. In 1958 he was named Director of Research at Electro Motive and in 1975 he became Manager of Associate Sales and Overseas Locomotive Manufacture. In this latter position he traveled extensively in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. Throughout his life, Dave's mechanical genius, love of photography and woodworking, and selflessness were always in evidence. He was particularly fond of time spent at the family's Lake Michigan cottage. He could repair anything and enjoyed helping others. Following Dorothy's untimely death in 1987, Dave married Alene Adkins in 1990. A devoted husband, he dedicated himself totally to the care of first Dorothy and then Alene as their health failed. Preceded in death by parents, Leverett and Lucille, wives, Dorothy and Alene and brother, Richard. Survived by children, James Lyon (Sue), Jean Ondof (Tony), and David Lyon (Mary); and grandchildren, Jessica and Jeffrey Lyon. Funeral arrangements are private. Memorials in lieu of flowers preferred to the Alzheimer's Association.