John Arthur Lyons Jr.

John “Jay” Arthur Lyons, Jr.

January 26, 1941 – October 15, 2025

Woodbury, N.J. — Newark, Del.

John “Jay” Arthur Lyons, Jr., a devoted husband, father and man of steadfast Christian faith, passed away peacefully early this morning, October 15, 2025. He was 83. 

Born on January 26, 1941, in Woodbury, New Jersey, Jay grew up in Clarksboro and graduated from Swedesboro High School in 1959. He earned his degree in engineering from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1963 and proudly served his country in the U.S. Army, stationed in Birmingham, Alabama. After his military service, he completed a Master’s Degree in Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

 Jay eventually settled in Newark, Delaware, where he and his wife built their forever home—a property framed by two creeks and lush trees and bushes. He spent nearly all his adult life there, aside from a few cherished years with his young family in Staunton, Virginia. 

He spent his career as an engineer at DuPont, and later as a contractor assigned to the same DuPont site where he had always worked. Jay was the math wizard behind many of DuPont’s pioneering projects—those that required an intricate understanding of heat, pressure and chemistry to produce the products of the future. His work reflected both his precision and his imagination, and he took quiet pride in solving problems that others found unsolvable. 

Jay had a deep love of learning and problem-solving and took particular satisfaction in tackling chores around the house and garage. He spent countless weekends repairing the family cars, always with one of his sons holding the flashlight. His love of science and engineering often found its way into elaborate school projects, and his curiosity about how things worked never faded. 

He and his wife and three sons made weekend trips to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he relished the hearty breakfasts and dinners at the Willow Valley Resort. A thrill-seeker at heart, Jay never met a roller coaster he wouldn’t ride—especially at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. Afterward, he’d often be found standing beneath the ride, sketching it out and calculating the physics that made it soar. 

He insisted that his sons play baseball, faithfully supporting them from Little League through high school. He threw rounds of batting practice, offered tips from the backyard and the dugout, and gave lively encouragement from the stands—sometimes to the players, and sometimes to the umpire.

Two of Jay’s greatest passions were his faith in Jesus Christ and his love of model trains. A longtime deacon in the Baptist church, Jay delighted in sharing the message of Christ’s saving grace and the promise of eternal life. In his spare time, he assembled one of the most impressive G-gauge model train collections in the Delaware Valley, complete with an elaborate backyard railway and a hand-built depot barn. In true engineer fashion, he even cut through the home’s foundation so the trains could “pull in” after a long day on the rails. 

A lifelong baseball fan, Jay grew up cheering for the Philadelphia Athletics with his father at Connie Mack Stadium. He passed that love of the game to his children, taking them to countless Philadelphia Phillies games—binoculars and scorecard in hand—recording each play with precision. 

Jay married the love of his life, Elizabeth Mae Lyons, in 1963, and together they shared sixty years of marriage until her passing in May 2023.

He is survived by his sister, Carol Mullen, of Clarksboro, N.J.; and his three sons, John of Odessa, Texas; Tim of Claremont, New Hampshire; and Andy of Charleston, South Carolina. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jay will be remembered for his brilliant mind, his steady faith, and his boundless curiosity about the world God created. 

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” — Matthew 25:21