John Lyons

Hey John. this is Steven Zepeda. i wish i would´ve reached out to you sooner. you were my mentor from the big brothers & sisters of the east bay. Hope u are at peace

John was a wonderful presence at the Club, fun to walk with for 18 holes and appreciate his humanity and smile when I recall his words

John was not only exceptionally talented, he was one of the Really, Good Good-Guys. Brilliant, yet humble. He was never without a smile; and that smile just made your whole day. John, you left a lot of Sunshine.
Thank-you,
Patti G.H. Classmate CHS '65

My heartfelt condolences to John's families -- we were classmates at Central and the one thing I always will cherish about John was his smile and his warmth. He was always cheerful and always had a way of making you feel welcomed and special when you ran into him -- I found this particularly true at class reunions as our lives took different paths ...but at the reunions it was always like we had never left the halls of Central and had to catch up with each other. He will always be remembered...

Way back in early 1980, I visited San Francisco and dropped off a resume to Chartmasters (Communicating Arts) on Howard Street. I don't know who I talked to on that day, but that following week I got a call from John. At the time I was a designer at Fluor in SoCal and was ready for a move. I flew to SF and interviewed with John and Bruce and got the job. I told John the he reminded me of Gene Wilder and that really cracked him up. I'll never forget my SF years working with him and Blackie....

John and Blackie Davidman grew Communicating Arts in the late 70's to the point of merging with Chartmasters of Chicago. Initially Communicating Arts was not much more than a card table and a filing cabinet but it all grew with Chartmasters to where over 80 digital artists, sales professionals and photographers were working multiple shifts in order to service the media needs of many Fortune 500 companies. I am proud and fortunate to have had John as a friend and as a respected manager. ...

My deepest condolences to John's family. I am so sorry I will miss the memorial service, as I will be out of the country. I hope friends from St. Olaf days will be there to share memories and to celebrate the life of a truly good man. I am grateful for the few years we were together. They have enriched my life to this day.