Edward Ronald LYONS

EDWARD RONALD LYONS A warm and kind man, Edward Ronald Lyons quickly shuffled off this mortal coil on August 11, 2020, after a very short illness and 94 years of one hell of a lovely life. Born in Windsor, Ontario, January 7, 1926, Ed vividly remembered his birth and the laborious journey down the birth canal. Raised in Hamilton, the only child of Seymour and Ethel, he was cherished and spoiled by his large and prosperous extended Jewish family. Ed always said he was born with a silver spoon and had lived a charmed life, which was (mostly) true. He was the king of exercise, going to the downtown Toronto Y five days a week for almost 60 years; he had the heart of a 25 year-old. He was also a champion blood donor, donating to the Red Cross more than 100 times. He loved dark chocolate, beer, Scotch, cryptic crosswords, eating, reading and smoking cigars, but more than anything he loved his wife, Keiko Margaret (Inouye). The day they both graduated from McMaster University in 1949, with degrees in economics, they got married, had lunch, and left for London, to see the world. She became a producer at the BBC, and he received another degree, in statistics, from the London School of Economics, then employed his degrees to work on the design and engineering of planes. After returning to Canada in 1960 with their two children, Ruth and Erskine, he applied his knowledge of statistics to market research first at Philips Electronics, then as Superintendent of Audience Research at the CBC, before creating his own research company. Together Ed and Margaret built a prosperous and satisfying life. When Erskine died in 1985, Ed was heartbroken, but he and Margaret carried on, as we all do. They filled their retired lives with global travel and volunteerism. Ed loved his stints as an historic cook, in period costume, at Spadina House and on the open hearth at Fort York. After 70 years of marriage, Margaret passed away in 2019, and, just ten months later, Ed joined her. He is survived by his daughter, Ruth, who misses him more than these words can say. Ed, like Margaret, chose to use MAID to die, and was grateful for the opportunity to do so. Ed and Margaret were strong supporters of McMaster; donations in Ed's name may be made to the Margaret and Edward Lyons Fund, McMaster University.