Joellen Beifuss Lyons

Joellen Margaret Beifuss Lyons, of Round Rock, Texas, passed away on September 10, 2025 at the age of 63.

She was born January 17, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois to John Beifuss Sr. and Joan Turner Beifuss, and she grew up as the middle of five siblings in Memphis, Tennessee. She was a graduate of White Station High School in Memphis.

At Duke University, she earned her bachelor's degree in political science in 1985, and met Michael Lyons, who became her friend and the love of her life. After three years together in Austin, Texas, Joellen and Michael married on January 2, 1988 in Memphis. Following a brief stint in Tampa, Florida, they returned to the Austin area in 1992 and settled in Round Rock.

She was a loving wife and mother of four children, and was devoted to family and to her home, a space which reflected her love of animals, plants and books while buzzing with energy for future projects. A lifelong cinema watcher, Joellen always maintained a robust catalogue of Alfred Hitchcock, creature features and Turner Classic Movie rarities in her DVR. An enthusiastic cook, she enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, such as the summer she made dishes to represent each of the 32 countries participating in the 2018 World Cup.

Joellen's house was also full of jigsaw puzzles. She had a special gift for recognizing patterns and spatial relationships that made her a master puzzler. In 1982, after seeing a blurb for the newly-established National Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, she decided to enter the singles event on a whim and proceeded to win the title. In total, Joellen competed at six annual jigsaw national championships between 1982-1990 - three years as a solo competitor, three years in the pairs category - and she won first place each year, setting new records for completion time along the way. Her feats earned her recognition in assorted publications, including Sports Illustrated, and took her to New York City for national morning television shows, as well as to France to give a puzzling exhibition. Joellen always talked about how much she cherished the camaraderie she found with her fellow puzzlers.

Satisfied with her mastery of the speed jigsaw puzzling world, Joellen remained a lifelong enthusiast after leaving the competitive scene. She curated a thoughtful collection of puzzles of different sizes, whimsies and styles, and she frequently shared pictures of her completed puzzles with family and friends as well as posting to her hobby Instagram account. Joellen also passed on her passion to her family and enjoyed teaming up with her daughter Annie to win the pairs event at the 2023 Texas State Speed Puzzling championships; health struggles with cancer, which Joellen battled for the last several years of her life, prevented a return trip to national competition.

A lifelong Duke Blue Devil and overall ardent college basketball fan, Joellen attended many Texas Longhorns games over the years as a season ticketholder. In keeping with her affinity for her hometown, she was also a dedicated supporter of the University of Memphis Tigers basketball team through thick and thin.

Joellen is survived by her soul mate of 40 years Michael Lyons; her son Nick and daughters Katie and Annie Lyons; and her siblings John Beifuss, Jill Beifuss, Nan Emerson and Kate Beifuss. She also leaves behind many good friends made in the Round Rock community over the years. Joellen was predeceased by her son John Lyons, and by her parents Joan Turner Beifuss and John Beifuss Sr.

A memorial service to honor Joellen's life will be held at 4:00pm, September 17 at Beck Funeral Home; 15709 Ranch Rd 620, Austin, TX 78717. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Austin Pets Alive!, where Joellen adopted her affectionate, loyal black labrador mixes Maia and Luna.