John Lyons passed away on October 30, 2019 at his home in El Cerrito, California. He was 72 years old.

Born in St. Paul, MN on May 6, 1947, John attended Central High School before receiving a BA from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Although he would say that his degree as an English Major had nothing to do with his career, John, to the amazement of others, could recite Chaucer in Middle English with great exuberance. Following graduation, John landed a job in business communications. Five years later, following a move to the Bay Area, John spread his wings to work as senior medical photographer at the University of California Medical Center before returning to the corporate world. In 1984, John started his own multimedia business in San Francisco, Corporate Images, which he sold in 2001. After retirement, he began the second phase of his career as a finish carpenter for several years, which he considered one of his most pleasurable and rewarding occupations.

John's passion for photography led to an opportunity to document the work of Partners Asia in Myanmar as a volunteer. From 2003 to 2015, he made multiple trips, falling in love with the country and the people. A book of his photographs, "Burma…Carrying the Embers of Hope," is currently being printed and will be available through Partners Asia.

In addition to editing his thousands of photographs, John also enjoyed fishing the coastal waters of California, hunting birds in North Dakota, trying to lower his handicap on the golf course, playing music, and collecting antiques and folk art. John's generosity in sharing his talents and skills was legendary. His ability to bring a smile to all he knew and to offer assistance to even those he didn't know made the world a better place.

John is survived by his wife, Nancy; their daughters, Molly Friend (Alberto Ybarra) of Oakland and Elizabeth Friend Lagaay of Danville; and grandchildren, Sander and Ava Lagaay, who were his pride and joy. He also leaves behind a brother, Jerry Lyons (Joan), of Minnesota and Florida; a sister, Kathryn Brown (Roger) of Virginia; and much loved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews. John's family is deeply appreciative of Jo Henry, who was his friend and devoted caregiver for the last year and a half of his life, and to Kaiser Hospice for their compassionate care of John.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of John's Life on Sunday, November 24 at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Country Club, 7901 Cutting Boulevard, El Cerrito, CA, with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested donations in John's memory to Partners Asia, 436 14th St., Suite 700, Oakland, CA 94612, or to the charity of your choice.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for John Lyons

8 Entries

Steven Zepeda

October 19, 2023

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

Patrick Leaper

November 17, 2019

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

November 13, 2019

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

Me in much younger days

Eudice (aka Edie) Naiman

November 10, 2019

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 fondly in my heart.

Penelope Quinn

November 8, 2019

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. They were 2 of my all time favs in my career and I learned so so much from them. It was meant to be that we all crossed paths. God bless you John. I'm sure the AV peeps in Heaven are happy to see you!

Larry Drummond

November 7, 2019

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. His loss will be felt my many of those great professionals ! ! ! Learning of his loss immediately brought tears to my eyes.

John Lyons 1969

Carol Copperud

November 7, 2019

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.