Marguerite J. Lyons

Marguerite Josephine Lyons, 75, of San Luis Obispo, California, passed away on April 12, 2019, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Marguerite was born in Bakersfield, California to Robert E. Scherb, MD and Marguerite (Gilbreath) Scherb. She attended school in Bakersfield and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1965 with a degree in Journalism. She married Bill R. Lyons on September 25, 1965, and later divorced in 2001.

After her marriage, she resided in Redondo Beach, California where she was employed by City News Service of Los Angeles as a reporter and news writer. She later moved to Palos Verdes, California where she had her two daughters, Shannon and Chelsea. After the birth of her daughters, Marguerite worked on many local political campaigns as a writer and started work on a Master's Degree in Environmental Studies.

In 1979, Marguerite and her family moved to Bennington, Vermont. There she continued her pursuit of a Master's Degree in Environmental Studies at SUNY Albany and received her degree in 1981. During this time, Marguerite remained active in journalism by writing a weekly opinion article for the local newspaper, The Bennington Banner. She also worked as a freelance journalist, and her articles appeared in numerous national magazines and newspapers. It was in the 1980s Marguerite discovered her love of painting and began taking several art courses and became an accomplished tole painter. In 1988, she opened her tole painting studio and gift shop, Creative Pastimes, in Bennington where she taught classes and sold her work.

In 1994, Marguerite moved back to California and settled in San Luis Obispo. She began to focus exclusively on watercolor painting. She showed her art in many galleries and had numerous solo art exhibits throughout the state and won many awards. Marguerite shared her knowledge of watercolors with many students over the years in both private classes and at Cuesta College. In addition to watercolors, Marguerite learned how to paint with egg tempera, a technique that dates back to the Renaissance era, pre-dating oil painting. She also enjoyed working in her garden and riding her horse.

Marguerite is survived by her daughters, Shannon (Lyons) Heberger and Chelsea (Lyons) Montgomery, her grandchildren, Austin Heberger, Aidan Heberger, Alec Heberger, Kaz Montgomery, and Devan Montgomery, and her sister, Mariann Michele (Scherb) Isomura. She is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Robert Scherb, III.

Marguerite's funeral and celebration of life will be Monday, May 20th, beginning at 10 am at Mission San Luis Obispo, 751 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California. If you would like to receive details on attending, please send an email to mjlyonscelebration@gmail.com or call 626.786.6292.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org, Woods Humane Society at 875 Oklahoma Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, or Cuesta College's Art Program at PO Box 8106, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403.