On August 30th 2019 the world lost a man that was truly one of the best. After a short fight with a genetic blood disease, our sweet father took his last breath with his family by his side.

 

Mike Lyons was born in Port Huron, MI on July 31, 1956 and lived a life that was defined by integrity and filled with love.

 

My dad lost both of his parents before he was legally able to drive and lost his only brother Gary when he was only in his 30’s. Just 6 months ago he lost his youngest daughter. To say his life has been challenging is an understatement. One of the many amazing things about my dad is that when faced with things seem impossible to survive, he never hesitated. He never blamed anyone. He faced every challenge in life with humor and with grace. He also managed a little pinch of sarcasm that must be genetic, because each of his three girls got a healthy dose of that as well.

 

If you met my dad for the first time you would never guess that he had experienced so much pain in his life. Because when you talked to him he always had a smile on his face, and you couldn’t have a conversation with him without it ending in shared laughter. When he was in high school he used that charm to win over the love of his life and then never left her side. From that moment on our parents faced the world together. They traveled, lived life to the fullest, and met many lifelong friends along the way. In 1975 my parents decided to call beautiful Colorado a permanent home and started their family together. They raised three daughters, working their hardest to ensure that each of us grew up to be honest, hardworking and kind. Helping others wasn’t a value that our parents told us we should have, rather it was is value they taught us by example in the way they lived their lives. As a kid I remember asking our parents one time, “What religion are we?”. My dad’s answer stayed with me in that moment and has significantly impacted how I live my life to this day. He told us that there are many types of religions/spirituality in the world and that they would support us in whatever path we chose in life. He said that ultimately we believe in being good people and that’s the most important thing to remember. I still believe that sentiment to this day.

 

Although he was taken from us far too soon, there is no question that his life was full. My dad was so grateful for everything he had. Although he experienced great tragedy in his life, he taught us that our lives don’t have to be defined by those tragedies. Challenges are part of living a full life, but the most meaningful parts are the reason we keep going. He showed us by example how to appreciate what brings us happiness. Silent moments holding the hand of someone you love, hysterical laughter over something that only you and him understand. My dad was a beautiful person and he had an enormous capacity to give. He never asked for more than he needed, and anything he had he would give to you if he thought you needed it more.

 

Even after unimaginable heartache, you are still capable of unconditional love, and that is more important than anything. It survives good and evil and sorrow and pain. We are forever grateful for that valuable lesson.

 

We are so grateful for every minute we had with him. We wish there were a million more. He taught us to be better people and to always keep going, no matter what. He fought till the end and so will we. We cannot thank you enough, Dad. Love you forever.

 

Mike is survived by his wife, Sherie Lyons, daughters, Brittany (Orlando) De Los Santos and Nicolette Lyons, grandson, Nathaniel De Los Santos, and cousin, Jill Lyons.