Shirley LYON

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LYON: Shirley Ann Lyon, May 12, 1934 – March 1, 2012. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and stepmother, Shirley Lyon on Thursday, March 1st, 2012. Left to cherish her memory are her beloved husband Michael Blanar, her son Frazer Lyon (Kelly), daughter Karen Kozyra (Keith); two sisters and one brother in England - Su Cain, Judy Wilson (Graham), and Ian Rutherford; her five grandsons Devon, Dylan, Kai, Luke and Tim; and her stepsons Michael A. ( Julie), Christopher and Martin Blanar. Shirley came to Canada in 1957 with her first husband Jack Lyon, choosing Winnipeg as their destination because “it was in the middle of the map”. Shirley worked for many years as a physiotherapist and began her university education with night courses, eventually obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) from the University of Winnipeg and her Master’s Degree (Ag. Econ.) from the University of Manitoba, much to the pride of her family. She accepted the post of Executive Director, Inter-Universities North, in the 1970s and was located in Thompson, Manitoba. Her dedication to education and northerners, duly recognized by the University of Manitoba, very definitely laid the foundation for the present University College of the North. Some of her most fond memories were of spending time with loved ones at Setting Lake, south of Thompson. Shirley and Michael found a very special little corner of the world when they moved to Elgin, Manitoba, in the early 80s. The beauty of the prairies, the community of Elgin, and Shirley’s stunning garden brought her many smiles and happiness as she and Michael made Elgin their home for 20 years. All five grandsons enjoyed playing in the Elgin yard, racing up and down the stairs in the house and helping their Granny in her garden, usually while munching something delicious from her kitchen. Over the past 10 years, Shirley and Michael have been living in Winnipeg, closer to Frazer and Karen and their families, and the services the city has to offer. Shirley’s gardening skills continued to shine in the yard of her Winnipeg home and she was always making plans for the next growing season. The family would like to give special thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff of the Grace Hospital ICU for their care and compassion. Shirley believed in celebrating life as you live it rather than mourning a life lost, and would ask that those who cared for her do the same. To that end, she would be delighted to know that you had planted a plant, helped someone to smile, or donated to a charity of your choice in her memory. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Shirley’s life will take place on Friday March 9, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at Friends Funeral Service, 2146 Main Street.

As published in Brandon Sun on Mar 07, 2012