Folsom Funeral Service

Paul C. Lyons, 84, of Raynham, formerly of Middleboro and Walpole, passed away peacefully at the Brockton VA Medical Center on September 24, 2023.

Paul was the dear father of Sheryl L. Crowell of Ashburn, VA,  Russell P. Lyons and his wife Roselyn S. Lyons of Chapin, SC, Crystal G. Lyons, and her dear friend Jamie Ryan, of Raynham, Sandra J. Ganguly, and her husband Promeet, of Franklin, and Jennifer S. Bloch, and her husband David, of Norton.  Brother of Richard G. Lyons, and his wife Grace, of Glen Ellyn, IL, and their son Rick Lyons of Schaumburg, IL, Frances M. Diodati, and her husband Gene, of Nokomis, FL, and their children, Tina Diodati of Deerfield, WI and Mark Diodati of Waukesha,WI and the late Maurice Joseph Lyons.  Former husband of Arlene Lyons.  Proud grandfather of Makaila, Dalton, Garrett, Jake, Drake, Lynzie, Kelsie and Avril Lyons, Taylor Asbell, Kiaralyn Ryan, and Sarina Ganguly.

Paul was born in Cambridge in 1938 and attended schools there. In his teens, Paul enjoyed playing pool and was an avid weightlifter. After graduating from Cambridge High And Latin in 1956, he enlisted in the Navy, was stationed on the USS Bennington out of San Diego, and served honorably until 1959. Paul’s loving mother, Abby, who always put her children first and enjoyed taking them to Nantasket beach as often as possible, passed while he was in the service. He took it upon himself to help look after his young sister whenever he could. After being discharged from the Navy, Paul enrolled at Boston University where he met a lovely young woman, Arlene, who would go on to become his wife and the mother of his five beautiful children: Sheryl, Russell, Crystal, Sandra, and Jennifer.

At Boston University, Paul received a BA, Masters, and PhD (1969), all in Geology.

Paul was a professor of Science at Boston University. Whenever he looked back on his teaching career, he liked to recount the story of how he once assigned a grade of F to the daughter of two very prominent Hollywood celebrities because “she earned it”. The student’s parents were a very big deal back then, but Paul wasn’t going to sacrifice his ethics simply because he enjoyed watching their movies!

In 1977, a pivotal moment in Paul’s life took place when he was asked to join the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, Virginia. This honor instilled a burning excitement in Paul and he worked tirelessly over the next two plus decades to unearth valuable fossils while also significantly furthering research within his field. Not surprisingly, he was asked to speak at conferences worldwide. Much of Paul’s work focused on coal and plant fossils and some of it is still formally housed at the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University.

Paul retired from the USGS in 1999 but his love for Geology never ceased. At home, he covered table after table with rocks and fossils and wrote paper after paper for publication in prestigious scientific journals. He was often asked by former colleagues to proof their manuscripts for publication. At the time of his passing, his personal publications numbered in the hundreds and many can be found on https://scholar.google.com/. (Search on Paul C. Lyons).

Paul was the ultimate family man and spent most of his free time with his 5 children and 11 grandchildren. He became so immersed in the fun that he was often lovingly referred to as an oversized kid. This was especially true on family beach vacations at Ocean City, Maryland and Cape Cod.

Paul loved family gatherings and was constantly asking who was hosting the next one. At these events, he favored playing Bid Whist. He played conservatively and smartly. If his partner took too many risks and cost their team the win, Paul would grimace and swiftly move his partner to another team. He would then chuckle about it and ask someone to bring him a slice of pie if they “happened to be passing by the kitchen”. Paul also loved playing Rummy, Cribbage, and 45 and was a solid poker player. It was rumored that he paid off his Boston University undergraduate tuition loans with winnings from a poker game that took place while he was in the Navy.

Paul lived for watching Westerns and classic movies. You could forget about catching his attention if good ole John Wayne was on the screen when you stepped into the room. Unless you had food.

Paul loved to eat and had refined culinary tastes. He scoffed at the idea of stopping at fast food restaurants. It was filet mignon at The Longhorn steakhouse, sea scallops at a fancy seafood restaurant, or all-you-can-eat prime rib at the Bonfire buffet in Ocean City (his favorite).

Paul was passionate about music: “Danny Boy”, “I Did It My Way”, and “Release Me” were some of his favorites.

Paul adored his cat, Ireland, who was named after Paul’s ancestry. Paul’s father, Maurice, a pipe-smoking blacksmith from County Cork in Ireland, arrived in the United States in 1926. Paul was very proud to be Irish and looked forward to each St. Patrick’s Day several months in advance. His sister, Fran, enjoyed preparing a special batch of her delicious soda bread recipe, an Irish favorite, for Paul. In addition to being very close to Fran, Paul was equally close to his two brothers: Dick and Joe.

Paul’s proudest achievement was raising five wonderful children. A few months before he passed, he was quoted as saying, “I never had the desire to be a millionaire. My family is worth far more than that!” How he chose to live his life affirms this belief. Paul lived for his family and his legacy of family values is carried on by his 5 children.

 Visiting hours Sun 2-5 pm at the Folsom Funeral Home, 87 Milton St., Dedham.  Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary’s Church, 420 High St, Dedham Monday at 10 ‘o clock.  Interment with military honors will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury.

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