Albert S. Lyons III

Albert S. Lyons, III, age 79, of Englewood, TN, died on September 27, 2017, after suffering from rapidly progressive Alzheimer’s disease. Al was born in Knoxville, TN, on December 3, 1937, the only son of the late Albert Spears Lyons, Jr., and Hilda Rowan Lyons. A member of the first freshman class to enter West High School when it opened in 1951, Al lettered in track and earned the rank of Eagle Scout before graduating in 1955. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Al began his career at the public accounting firm of Ernst & Ernst and then became a Certified Public Accountant in 1964. For most of his life, he worked as a cost accountant for manufacturing companies. He also taught accounting classes at Pellissippi State Community College, where he was a well-liked instructor. The last 15 years of Al’s career were spent at Mobile Communications in Lawrenceville, GA, from which he retired at age 77. Al was a faithful husband, father, friend, and employee. Always a good listener, his quiet demeanor was punctuated with dry wit and the love of a good story. He could build and repair just about anything, which he attributed to his high school summer jobs as a construction worker. He was skilled at woodworking; both his home in Knoxville and his home in Englewood bear the marks of his multiple home improvement projects, including decks, screened-in porches, bookcases, and closet organizers. Before working out became popular, Al exercised by digging out all of the dirt under his houses in order to create basements. A shovel, a pickaxe, a wheelbarrow, and a child or two were his regular evening companions for many years. Al loved the Smoky Mountains and taking long drives with his family. He and his wife Jerry provided many happy memories for their children during tent-camping outings to Cades Cove and Camp Wesley Woods. Al worked diligently to provide for his family, ensuring that all of his children had the privilege of a college education. Their accomplishments in their chosen professions made him so very proud. He was always ready with a U-Haul truck, willing to pack up his children’s belongings and move them from one college or apartment or home to another. He was a marginal golfer; an excellent solver of jigsaw, crossword, and Sudoku puzzles; and a lover of UT sports and old western movies. Al cherished his high school friendships and attending class reunions of his beloved West High School. He was also quite fond of his wife’s sour cream pound cake, almost any kind of cookie, and crunching the ice from his very sweet tea with lemonade. Al is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jerry Louise Jarnagin Lyons from Morristown, TN; daughter Mary Louise Lyons Conte (Jonathan) of Loveland, OH; daughter Kathryn Gill Lyons Brannan (Bill) of Tampa, FL; son Richard Rowan Lyons (Stacey) of Seminole, FL; daughter Susan Kyle Lyons of San Pedro, CA; and seven grandchildren: Cameron, Ethan, and Adrian Conte; Stuart, Henry, and Charles Brannan; and Emma Lyons. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Cavender (Cissy) Lyons Brandt-Nichols (Norman) of Dataw Island, SC, and her children David Brandt of Santa Rosa Beach, FL, and Natalie Brandt of Atlanta, GA. Al’s life will be celebrated at a private graveside service at the Lyons Family plot in McKinney Cemetery in Rogersville, TN. Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Holston United Methodist Home for Children, or a charity of choice. A guest book will be available for friends and family to sign at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel on Kingston Pike.

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Albert S. Lyons III

December 3, 1937 - September 27, 2017