Owen Lyons

Owen J. Lyons, 92, passed away Sunday, February 16th at Goldwater Care in Pontiac, Illinois.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 21st at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pontiac, IL. A visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at the church prior to mass. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Pontiac.

Owen was born on October 31, 1932 in Pontiac, IL to Edward and Theresa (McCarthy) Lyons. He married Patricia “Kush” Kusnerik on June 1, 1957. She preceded him in death on March 27, 2022.

He is survived by his sons Mike (Pam) of Pontiac, IL; Rick (Amy) of Pontiac, IL; Steve (Tami) of Gridley, IL; Pat of Flanagan, IL and Edward of Santa Barbara, CA. Owen has ten grandchildren, Andrew Lyons, Seth Lyons, Melissa Hall, Kevin Lyons, Grace Lyons, Garrett Lyons, Whitney Weatherford, Nick Lyons, Sam Lyons and Samantha Trainor and 8 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a brother, Harold "Pink" Lyons.

He was preceded in death by his brothers and sisters Gene Lyons, Louis Lyons, Frances Russow and Kathleen Rathbun.

Owen and Kush co-owned Lyons Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning in Pontiac for over 50 years.

Owen served honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1952-1955 and cherished the friendships made during his service and attended reunions with his shipmates. He was a passionate member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and helped decorate and clean the church and was responsible for raising money for updates for the church and the school. He loved to fish and most recently took up painting barn quilts. He was not one for sitting around and enjoyed trying out new recipes.

Owen was a member of the Pontiac Elks Club, Pontiac Sportsman’s Club and proud member of the ’32 Club of Pontiac.

Memorials may be made to the St. Mary’s Catholic School, St. Mary’s Catholic Church or the St. Mary’s Food Pantry.

Online condolences may be made to the family at duffyfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.