James E. ‘Jym’ Lyon
Jym Lyon, 75, formerly of Florence, Alabama, passed away August 9, 2018 at his home in Sanger, Texas. Jym was preceded in death by his mother, Lois Gladney Lyon and father, George E. Lyon.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Candace Page Lyon, Sanger, Texas; daughter, Kimberly Lyon Fissel (Jim), Mounds, Oklahoma; granddaughter, Ashley Brown, Tulsa, Oklahoma and his brother, Michael Lyon, Florence. He is further survived by his children, Adrian Cooper, Candace Cooper Billings, Austin Page and numerous grandchildren, all of North Texas.
Jym was educated in Florence at Gilbert, Appleby, Coffee High and Florence State Teachers College (FSTC). He was a competitive athlete, excelling in; 3-meter and 1-meter springboard diving, swimming and track (FSTC). He was an AAU Member, since the mid 1950’s. He played football (CHS) for several years, but his first love was track and water sports.
As a teenage Civil Air Patrol Cadet, he earned his private pilot license. This training later led to a rating for flying charters nationwide to supplement his income, while raising a family. In the early 70’s, he studied Taekwondo, became a PADI Certified Diver and an avid snow skier. Also, during the 70’s, Jym worked for the U.S. Treasury, as an Air Marshall for commercial flights. He trained at Quantico, Virginia, becoming an Expert Marksman and achieved a high proficiency in the Martial Arts. After leaving the Marshall Service, he pursued entrepreneurial opportunities in business in Dallas, Texas.
His passion was sailing and he could not get enough. He sailed the South Pacific and the Caribbean with close friends and their wives.
He requested that no funeral services be held and his remains be donated to Genesis Legacy for Medical Research. A Memorial gathering of his Sailing buddies and friends will be scheduled at a future date.
