 lyons family lyons family ray tue 3252014 944  lyons children  top lr jimmy lyons billy lyons kenny lyons bottom lr bobby lyons john speedy lyons marie lyons matt lyons and steve lyonsi mage courtesy of joseph t lyons jr aiken south carolinamarch 2014 courtesy of joseph t lyons jr first row lr bobby lyons billy lyons second row lr billy s grand daughter elizabeth strahan jimmy lyons steve lyons grand son william strahan third row lr joseph lyons billy s daughter susan lyons strahan greg strahan barbara cvitanovich lyons  lyons family john christian lyons  18901950 was born on july 3 1890 at mississippi city  harrison county mississippi the youngest of the eleven children born to thaddeus lyons 18451924 and louise marie fayard 18481905 both native of mississippi john s parents married circa 1867 and were the parents of ten surviving children rosetta lyons 1872 m phil a englehardt cora lyons 1878 walter j lyons 18801953 m lottie cruthirds 18891973 oscar f lyons 18801937 m clara albrecht 18721939 eugene lyons 1882 edmond lyons 1884 m mattie taylor emma lyons 18861969 m edward john hosch 18981968 and john c lyons 18901950 m adelaide peresich 18971943    john c lyons married adelaide mable peresich  18971943 born march 11 1897 to joseph peresich 18521933 a native of lovran primorjegorski county croatia joseph was the son of joseph peresich and mary sepelich he left the croatian coast at the age of twelve to make his livelihood on the sea arriving in new orleans in 1875 he chose to live in the united states and became a resident of the crescent city here joseph peresich married adelaide ritter 18641936 the daughter of frank ritter and catherine muller 18371900 in march 1883 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 25 p 515 john c lyons made his livelihood as a sailor and fisherman in 1930 the family was domiciled in biloxi mississippi at 217 elmer street by 1940 the lyons clan was living at 460 lee street john and adelaide p lyons were the parents of  joseph t lyons m 19141945 m esther amelia ryan 19191973  john speedy elbert lyons  19161997 m lucy l martino 19171996  matthew peresich lyons  19181999 m vara brown 19241977 and mary ella huth 19242007  marie louise lyons  19241998 m clarence zeke stewart 19191995  william billy rudolph lyons  19252015    m   joy branson 19271982  kenneth jerome lyons  19272008 m roslyn weksler and margaret germaine sablich 19282007  eugene jimmy james lyons  19302020    m lona anna lee webber d 2004  robert bobby george lyons m patricia ann magill 19372015 and stephen anthony lyons m barbara faith cvitanovich harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 25 p 515 1930 harrison county mississippi federal census r1146 p 14a ed 3 and and 1940 harrison county mississippi federal census t6272024 p 22b ed 242 after the death of his spouse in 1943 john c lyons married hazel althea andrews  18901974 on april 16 1944 after his demise she married rudolph louis peresich 19041985 in april 1952 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 64 p 533 and mrb 89 p 316  children esther amelia ryan and joseph t lyons  courtesy of matthew lyons jr march 2014  joseph t lyons joseph thaddeus lyons 19141945 was born at biloxi mississippi on november 18 1914 he married esther amelia ryan 19191973 the daughter of frederick mickey j ryan 18861943 and amelia florence domning 18891954 and a native of ocean springs mississippi they were the parents of joseph t lyons jr b 1944 after the demise of joseph t ryan his widow married standish bradford 19141992 joseph t lyons graduated from biloxi high school in 1933 he played football in high school and following graduation officiated high school football games and wrote sports for the daily herald  mr lyons first job was as a bookkeeper with the watson insurance agency he later was the manager of the bond and casualty department for the watson agency as well as its vice president eugene peresich sr his grandfather was the president captain joseph t lyons while serving with the 3 rd army was killed in action in luxembourg during ww ii his corporal remains were interred in a military cemetery in europe  john e lyons john elbert lyons 19161997 called speedy was born september 10 1916 he married lucy martino in harrison county mississippi  matt lyons at buena vista hotel   matthew p lyons matthew matt peresich lyons 19181999 was bornon december 29 1918 in biloxi mississippi he died suddenly on june 23 1999 near his home in gulfport mississippi matt was survived by his lovely wife of eleven years mary huth pudge lyons 19242007 sons matt g lyons and his wife gloria of biloxi and dr a gordon lyons and his wife mary king of jackson mississippi daughter mary paul soares and her husband herman soares of ocean springs mississippi george huth and rita huth of daphne alabama bobby huth and janet huth of wilmington north carolina marcia missy huth of chapel hill north carolina 14 grandchildren vara lyons phillip lyons sarah danielle soares jonathan huth christie huth george huth jr ryan huth jarred huth nicholas huth maryanna huth michael huth jonathan huth molly huth daniel huth brothers kenneth j lyons robert g lyons william r lyons james lyons stephen lyons and numerous nieces nephews relatives friends and coworkers mr lyons was preceded in death by his parents john christian lyons a biloxi fisherman and adele peresich lyons a biloxi housekeeper vara brown lyons his wife of 35 years his brothers maj joseph t lyons john e lyons and his sister marie lyons stewart matt was a wellknown member of the community beginning work at an early age selling his mother s pralines at area hotels then rising from elevatoroperator to general manager of biloxi s buena vista and white house hotels where he was employed from 1935 to 1957 becoming president of the american hoteliers association with his lifelong work in the coast s tourist industry interrupted only by his service as an intelligence officer in wwii working on security for the manhattan project from 1957 to 1977 he was executive director of the biloxi housing authority from 1978 until recently he was employed at the broadwater beach hotel operating one of the hotel s golf courses and later in group sales mr lyons was president of the national association of housing and redevelopment officials president of the biloxi rotary club and the biloxi chamber of commerce president and founding member of our lady of fatima parish council and the biloxi development commission board member of the elks lodge 606 biloxi jaycees lions club the united way the marchofdimes fund drive the heart fund drive biloxi s yankie stadium drive gulf coast mardi gras the save the ship island fort foundation the gulf coast coliseum and convention center drive nativity bvm fatima and st james parishes holy name and st vincent de paul societies and many other civic church family and publicinterest groups mr lyons was an accomplished athlete and avid golfer having participated in the pacific olympics during wwii on numerous mississippi state fastpitch softball championship teams usga senior open qualifying events the msga s mississippi amateur and as low amateur in the pga s magnolia classic in 1972 the legacy of mr lyons broad and varied work is seen in today s gulf islands national seashore act and the federal emergency management act fema for which he organized testimony and support with the offices of senator john stennis and congressman william colmer following his experience as a civil defense director after hurricane camille he was the author of the together we build the gulf coast effort following camille and the new beachcomber line operated by harrison county s coast transit authority he worked with renowned planner l bisso in authoring the initial biloxi zoning and planning code of ordinances his work with neighbor and resident agent warren toole during the 1960s was known only by those who worked for the wellbeing of the entire community and the rights of all mr lyons groundwork was seen in the presence of numerous public improvement biloxi s stadium pringle center community center our lady of fatima church and school the convention center and others and housing for the poor and the elderly back bay place beauvoir beach bayou august west end and east end homes for which he worked under the tutelage of biloxi mayors daniel d guice laz quave jerry o keefe and civic leaders john t collins leo crapo frank yankie barhanovich monsignors o connell hession and williams among many others bradfordo keefe funeral home on howard avenue in biloxi directed the funeral services of mr lyon onjune 26th at biloxi s nativity bvm cathedral on howard avenue followed by his interment in the biloxi s city cemetery  the sun herald  june 25 1999 p a13  marie l lyons marie louise lyons  19241998 was born january 31 1924 she was a native and lifelong resident of biloxi and a member of nativity bvm cathedral in biloxi marie married clarence zeke stewart 19191995 on june 7 1942 she expired at bay st louis mississippi on june 30 1998 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 55 p 407 mrs stewart was preceded in death by her husband clarence zeke stewart two brothers joseph t lyons and john speedy e lyons and her parents john c lyons and adelaide peresich lyons she was survived by three daughters anne stewart of memphis marydell slaver of knoxville tennessee and lois stewart of biloxi four sons perry stewart of capistrano beach california john stewart of d iberville david stewart of diamondhead and donald stewart of biloxi five brothers matt lyons billy lyons kenny lyons bobby lyons jimmy lyons and steve lyons all of biloxi three grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren bradfordo keefe funeral homes in biloxi directed the funeral of mrs stewart at nativity bvm cathedral her internment followed in the biloxi city cemetery  the sun herald  july 1 1998 p a9  william r lyons william rudolph billy lyons 19252015 passed away on october 11 2015 at the carmel home in owensboro kentucky where he has resided since may 2010 he had been a longtime resident of biloxi mississippi visitation will be held at the nativity bvm cathedral 870 howard avenue biloxi mississippi on thursday october 15 beginning at 900 am with funeral mass services immediately following at 1100 am the burial will follow at southern memorial park bradford o keefe funeral home howard avenue chapel is in charge of arrangements billy lyons was born on october 20 1925 in biloxi mississippi to john christian lyons and adelaide peresich lyons he was one of nine children billy graduated from biloxi high school bhs in 1947 while at bhs he was a member of both the boxing team and the football team served as editor of the high tide student newspaper and was voted mr biloxi high school billy served in the merchant marines from 1943 1946 during world war ii stationed off the coast of the philippine islands during the korean war from 19501954 he served in the us army stationed in germany and france following active duty he served as a captain in the army reserves until 1965 on july 6 1950 he married the love of his life joy branson of sylvia kansas in frankfurt germany joy died in december 1982 they were married 31 years and had three children carol anne m steve halliburton michael and susie m greg strahan billy attended the university of kansas and graduated in 1958 with a bachelor s degree in business while at ku he served on the boxing team was president of the veteran s student organization and was named to who s who in american colleges and universities following graduation billy was recruited by john hancock insurance company for their management training program in philadelphia pennsylvania he managed john hancock offices in st louis and kansas city before joining massachusetts mutual insurance company in kansas city and managing their offices in kansas city and mobile in 1967 he purchased the watson insurance agency in biloxi from his uncle gene peresich and served as owner operator of the watsonlyons insurance agency until 1974 as a local business man he was a member of the biloxi businessmen s club and the chamber of commerce billy was employed briefly by ingalls shipyard before starting his own company king of the hill productions pioneering delivery of closedcircuit telecasts of world championship boxing events the championship fight featuring sugar ray leonard and tommy hearns was a highlight for the company billy s success in promoting and setting up boxing events led to his involvement with the biloxi jets a minor league basketball team as director of group sales he led the league in ticket sales doubling average sales records appointed by governor kirk fordice billy served as state athletic commissioner from 19922003 providing licensure and oversight of boxing and wrestling events for the state of mississippi during his tenure the mississippi athletic commission raised millions of dollars in revenue surpassing atlantic city and second only to las vegas in quality and revenueproducing boxing events his work with the commission was featured in various boxing magazines and sports illustrated bouts featuring boxing greats such as larry holmes oscar de la hoya roberto duran tommy hearns mike tyson roy jones and laila ali were televised on major sports networks including abc espn showtime hbo and fox as much as he enjoyed his paid employment his favorite activities included charity and community service he was a proud member of the biloxi elks lodge 606 where he served as exalted ruler in 199192 he chaired the thanksgiving christmas basket committee and the elks charity golf tournament for several years and was named elk of the year in 1983 for many years he served on the harrison county development commission an organization promoting economic and community development he was a member of many civic and service organizations throughout his life and was named biloxi s outstanding citizen in 1978 he was active in our lady of fatima church serving on committees for the annual bazaar and christmas tree sales as well as the knights of columbus later when he moved downtown he became an active member of the nativity bvm cathedral at nativity he was a member of the rosary society the st vincent de paul society and an usher for sunday mass since may 2010 he resided at the carmel home in owensboro kentucky where he attended daily mass and was a member of the rosary society billy lyons lived his life to the fullest with a true commitment to faith family and community service he traveled the world but was always a proud ambassador for the state of mississippi and especially the city of biloxi calling it america s best kept secret his positive spirit sense of humor and zest for living will be missed by all who knew him billy lyons was preceded in death by his parents john christian lyons and adelaide peresich lyons his beloved wife joy branson lyons his sister marie lyons stewart and his brothers joseph lyons john speedy lyons matt lyons and kenneth jerome lyons he is survived by his three children carol lyons halliburton of jackson mississippi michael lyons of houston texas and susie lyons strahan of owensboro kentucky his brothers eugene jimmy lyons robert bobby lyons and steve lyons of biloxi his grandchildren kristy strahan compton rudy strahan elizabeth strahan william strahan katie lyons and bryce lyons his great grandchildren branson ellis peyton ellis grace ellis and scott compton and various nieces and nephews billy lyons was the son of john christian lyons and adelaide mable peresich 18971943 born march 11 1897 to joseph peresich 18521933 a native of lovran primorjegorski county croatia joseph was the son of joseph peresich and mary sepelich he left the croatian coast at the age of twelve to make his livelihood on the sea arriving in new orleans in 1875 he chose to live in the united states and became a resident of the crescent city here joseph peresich married adelaide ritter 18641936 the daughter of frank ritter and catherine muller 18371900 in march 1883 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 25 p 515 john c lyons made his livelihood as a sailor and fisherman in 1930 the family was domiciled in biloxi mississippi at 217 elmer street by 1940 the lyons clan was living at 460 lee street john and adelaide p lyons were the parents of joseph t lyons m 19141945 m esther amelia ryan 19191973 john speedy elbert lyons 19161997 m lucy l martino 19171996 matthew peresich lyons 19181999 m vara brown 19241977 and mary ella huth 19242007 marie louise lyons 19241998 m clarence zeke stewart 19191995 william billy randolph lyons 19252015 m joy branson 19271982 kenneth jerome lyons 19272008 m roslyn weksler and margaret germaine sablich 19282007 eugene jimmy james lyons m anna lee webber robert bobby george lyons m patricia ann magill and stephen anthony lyons m barbara faith cvitanovich harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 25 p 515 1930 harrison county mississippi federal census r1146 p 14a ed 3 and and 1940 harrison county mississippi federal census t6272024 p 22b ed 242 after the death of his spouse in 1943 john c lyons married hazel althea andrews on april 16 1944 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 64 p 533 the gulf pines faithful nativity parishioner billy lyons bids adieu to parish coast july 2 2010 2 july 2010 story by terry dickson biloxi after nearly 85 years as a parishioner at nativity of the blessed virgin mary cathedral billy lyons is moving to his new kentucky home friends say lyons departure will leave a huge void in the downtown parish where the spry octogenarian has been a mainstay he has been a rock for this parish said sister mary riordan he has always been faithful in coming to church he s an usher here in the parish he set up for mass here every morning and made sure everything was ready for the priest he s also been a very faithful member of our st vincent de paul society he s been very supportive of all the parish ministries cathedral rector father john mcgrath said lyons is a special person billy lyons is the kindest and most gentle man i have ever met father mcgrath said he is a dedicated heart of biloxi he told me this past sunday that every morning he thanks god that he was raised in biloxi and a member of nativity his pleasant approach will be missed by all the parishioners of the cathedral parish a lifelong biloxian lyons who will turn 85 in october is one of nine children eight boys and one girl and countless grandchildren lyons whose wife joy b lyons 19271982 died 25 years ago has three children his oldest daughter lives in jackson his son lives in houston and his youngest daughter with whom he will be staying lives in owensboro kentucky while he looks forward to being with is daughter lyons said he will miss nativity parish i go to mass every morning and my first prayer every morning is in thanksgiving that i was baptized catholic lyons said i m thankful that i was able to go to the old sacred heart academy with the nuns the sisters of mercy the clergy that we had were just so kind and so good to me i was an altar boy when i was five yearsold and i m 85 and i m still doing it lyons was a merchant marine during world war ii and later joined the army following his stint in the army lyons carved out a career for himself in the insurance business selling life insurance and general insurance he was also state boxing commissioner for 13 years through the years his devotion to nativity parish has never wavered while he wore many hats during his time at the cathedral lyons said what he most enjoyed was serving the needy through the st vincent de paul society and he plans to remain active with st vincent de paul once he moves to kentucky nor has lyons wavered in his devotion to the blessed mother every morning before mass lyons prays before the statue of the blessed virgin mary in the cathedral s marian chapel i ve been to lourdes and i ve seen the miracle of the memorare several times he said lyons was honored during the 8 am mass on june 11 the day before his departure bill s going to be making a big change in his life said nativity parochial vicar father bernie papania who celebrated the mass as we can imagine that s not easy so we want to accompany him with our prayers it s a beautiful day in god s providence that the feast of the sacred heart is the day that we will send him off with our prayers following mass the celebration moved across the street to the old biloxi schooner restaurant where lyons was presented a prayer book from the st vincent de paul society after a chorus of for he s a jolly good fellow lyons and his friends said so long for now but make no mistake about it this wasn t a goodbye because lyons will definitely be back to visit his nativity family oh yes i can t stay away from biloxi he said circa 1948 kenneth j lyons kenneth kenny jerome lyons sr  19272008 was born july 20 1927 he was married to margaret germaine sablich 19282007 of biloxi the daughter of george j sablich and irma augusta williams on june 11 1950 at nativity bvm catholic cathedral in biloxi harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 59 p 638 and bk 82 p 150 kenny graduated from biloxi high school in 1948 after lettering in football and after serving two years in the united states navy he worked thirtyone years as a letter carrier for the u s postal service in biloxi and ten years with the veterans administration hospital before retiring in 1987 kenny was an outstanding football and softball player he served twenty years on the city of biloxi recreation board 10 years as a little league coach twenty years as a high school football official and he was a member and three term president of the notre dame high school booster club kenny j lyons and his wife germaine were proud parents of four sons kenneth j lyons jr thomas wayne lyons patrick joseph lyons and barry stephen lyons they were proud grandparents of six grandsons patrick j lyons jr kenneth j lyons iii joel nathan jeremy and thomas and two granddaughters avon and danielle he was preceded in death by his wife his parents and one son patrick joseph lyons sr as well as three brothers joseph t lyons john speedy lyons matthew p lyons and one sister marie lyons stewart he was survived by his sons kenneth j lyons jr and his wife barbara brown lyons of nashville tennessee thomas wayne lyons and his wife debbie of kennett missouri and barry lyons of biloxi mississippi as well as four brothers william billy lyons bobby lyons jimmy lyons and steve lyons his family wishes to express their gratitude and thoughtfulness to the biloxi community living center and odyssey health care doctors nurses and staff who provided loving care and comfort to him kenny j lyons died at biloxi mississippi on october 3 2008 bradfordo keefe funeral home howard avenue in biloxi directed his funeral services a mass of christian burial was held on october 7 2008 at 10 am at nativity bvm catholic cathedral entombment was at southern memorial park in biloxi  the sun herald  october 3 2008   he led biloxi sports family kenny lyons sr coached his sons  from the sun herald  october 4 2008 p a8 south mississippi lost one of its leading sports figures friday with the passing of kenny lyons sr lyons 81 began working in the cafeteria in the biloxi va before retiring as a mail handler for the us postal service along the way he coached little league baseball in the old biloxi southern league along back bay and coached his four sons kenny jr tommy barry and pat his oldest son kenny jr prepped at notre dame high school before playing quarterback at ole miss he said his father was special and loved by all when it came to supporting his kids in sports there was none better we all signed football or basketball scholarships lyons jr said when i was a kid he was a football official and i remember going to games with him until i was 10 when i was a junior at notre dame i threw for almost 500 yards against picayune he had to miss that game due to an officials meeting he gave up officiating to be a part of my senior season and the rest of my brothers high school careers barry lyons played college baseball at delta state and with the new york mets tommy lyons pitched at ole miss outside of coaching little league baseball and delivering the mail lyons loved to visit mary mahoney s restaurant in biloxi when he got off work he loved going down there to celebrate the day lyons jr said he was involved with all four of us but baseball was the only game he coached us in dad was outgoing and loved to have a good time he knew everybody in town he was everyone s favorite mailman he was dedicated to his sons not just on the field he will be missed he had been in a nursing home with alzheimer s since hurricane katrina he fought a long battle but there was no escaping alzheimer s dad was one of a kind and he loved to fish he loved to fish chandeleur every chance he got lyons jr said some of his fishing buddies were larry manuel stanley dellenger errol bradley and harold catchot to name a few he really loved his fishing  eugene j lyons eugene j jimmy lyons sr april 17 1930 july 12 2020 biloxi eugene james jimmy lyons 90 of biloxi died sunday july 12 2020 at covington county hospital collins mississippi following complications with pneumonia he was preceded in death by his wife lona anna lee webber lyons father john christian lyons his mother adelaide mabel peresich lyons and his brothers joe lyons matt lyons sister marie stewart lyons brothers billy lyons and kenny lyons he is survived by one child eugene james jamie lyons jr and wife sarah denise lyons and grandchildren jonah lyons maeanna lyons and sam lyons of newhebron ms brothers bobby lyons of biloxi ms and steve lyons of biloxi ms as well as his sweet special friend genny lloyd of vancleave ms jimmy lyons was born on april 17 1930 to john and adelaide lyons in biloxi and grew up there attended biloxi high school the university of new orleans and served 2 years in the us army korean war he married lona anna lee webber wife of 48 years upon her death 2004 raising a single child jamie while employed in the hotel management business he was a resident of the mississippi gulf coast new orleans springfield illinois and retired back home in biloxi thereafter in 2019 residing in the mississippi veterans home collins mississippi he was a faithful parishioner of the cathedral of the nativity of the blessed virgin mary biloxi mississsippi he lived a full and prosperous life and will always be remembered as hospitable loving caring generous and down to earth with a personality and wit where everyone was always welcome and a favorite never meeting a stranger he donated his body to science so no immediate arrangements are planned family and or friends can contact jamie lyons at   769 2578961  or  silverbackgas gmailcom  with communication on future memorial plans in lieu of flowers please go  wwwsendthewordorg to donate to the gideon s international for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever amen romans 1136  references   the sun herald eugene j lyons jul 14 2020  robert g lyons  image made circa 1950  robert george lyons  b 1933 was born 1933 he married patricia patsy ann magill  19372015 a native of shreveport louisiana and the daughter of richard magill 19011965 and helen magill b 1909 in harrison county mississippi on december 24 1953 patsy expired on january 14 2015 with internment at southern memorial park harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 96 p 275 and the sun herald january 16 2015 p a5 children robert g lyons jr m patti gene parker maria lynn sekul and donna frances pizzetta schmermund jerry lyons wayne lyons kathy lyons m kevin coggin and julie lyons m greg williams  stephen a lyons  stephen anthony lyons was born in 1938 he married barbara faith cvitanovich the daughter of dominic cvitanovich  18941962 a croatian immigrant and philomena sercovich 19001985 a native of new orleans in harrison county mississippi on december 3 1960 harrison co mississippi circuit court mrb 118 p 82  references  the biloxi daily herald   south mississippimississippi city  louise m lyons death     february 4 1905 p 8 the daily herald   mrs  adelaide peresich  lyons dies   march 27 1943 p 7 the daily herald   john c lyons dies   november 7 1950 p 12 the daily herald     matt  lyons sentenced after no contest   june 7 1979 p a1  the jackson county times   captain jos lyons killed in action   march 10 1945  the sun herald    joy b lyons   december 1982 the sun herald   clarence zeke stewart   january 9 1995 p a2 the sun herald   john lyons sr   november 2 1996 p a2 the sun herald   lucy martino lyons   may 23 1997 p a2 the sun herald   marie stewart   july 1 1998 p a9 the sun herald   matthew peresich lyons   june 25 1999 p a13 the sun herald   margaret germaine sablich lyons   may 18 2007 the sun herald   mary ella huth lyons   june 6 2007 the sun herald   kenneth j lyons sr   october 3 2008 the sun herald    he led biloxi sports familykenneth lyons sr  october 4 2008 p a8 the sun herald    patricia patsy lyons  january 16 2015 p a5  the sun herald    william lyons   october 13 2015 the sun herald    william lyons   october 14 2015  the timespicayune     john  hosch   may 30 1968 p 25 the timespicayune   miss victims  emma lyons hosch  of camille listed   september 9 1969 p 16 1537 views  