Nicola Vaughn Lyons

Nicola Vaughn Lyons, age 76, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 9, 2022, at Violet Springs Health Campus in Pickerington, Ohio. She was born May 29, 1945, in Sioux City, Iowa, a daughter of the late Archie and Dorothea (Vaughn) Strunk. She spent much of her young life in Grandview, Ohio, and later lived many years in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
Nicki was talented, kind, caring, and touched many people throughout her life. She graduated from Grandview High School in 1963 and went on to receive a degree in education from The Ohio State University in 1967. She taught English during her early career at Hilltonia Middle School. She spent several years as a homemaker and later worked in the office at University Baptist Church. She went on to serve as Records Manager for the law firm Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, where she retired in 2008. Nicki attended the University Baptist Church where she served in a variety of roles including choir. She also participated in International Coffee Hour, where she would play and interact with children and mothers, teaching them English and how to adapt to life in America. Nicki especially had a passion for piano and guitar which was evident throughout her life. She shared this passion with others by accompanying the choir at church, a concert horn player, and a vocal quartet. She was a long-time member of the "One More Time String Band" where she sang and played guitar at various gigs throughout central Ohio. Nicki and her husband also had a passion for flying and travel. They started out flying model airplanes during their younger years and later obtained pilots licenses and took pleasure in flying a small Cessna aircraft for several years. Since retirement, she has enjoyed spending time with family, especially her grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Gary W. Lyons, whom she married August 2, 1969, and who passed away February 11, 2012; sister and brother-in-law, Deborah (Daniel) Porretta; nephew, Danny Porretta; and father-in-law and mother-in-law Robert and Bernadine Lyons. Those left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Jenny (Asher) Polster of Pickerington, Ohio and Sarah (Dave) Stottsberry of Caldwell, Ohio; grandchildren, Ayden and Bella Polster, and Mason and Brant Stottsberry; brothers, Steve (Mary) Strunk of Dublin, Ohio, Charles Strunk of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; and nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.
A celebration of Nicki's life will be held Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 2 p.m. at The University Baptist Church, 50 West Lane Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43201. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the National Alliance on Mental Health or the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Day Funeral Service is honored to serve the family of Nicola Lyons.