John “Jack” was born on April 22, 1935 to Agnes O’Brien Lyons and John P. Lyons in Arlington, Massachusetts. Jack grew up in the Boston area along with his sisters, Mary Connoly, Claire Weston, and Barbara Hench. They moved numerous times to nearby Roxbury and Cambridge, Mass. He often shared memories of growing up with his buddies, who lived near him on Hay Street, calling themselves the Hay Street Tigers.
He worked at Cambridge Printing Company and then Nature Foods as a stock clerk until 1955 when he moved to Flint, looking for work at one of the General Motors plants. This turned out to be his destiny for 35 years. In 1956, he met his wife, Jean Consani. He joined the National Guard and attended Flint Junior College. He was in Active Duty National Guard in Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri and in Advanced Combat training at Fort Ord, California. After completing training, he returned to Flint, working at the GM plant picking stock and working parcel post lines.
In 1958, Jack married Jean, the love of his life, on July 19th at Holy Redeemer Church in Flint. They resided in a home that Jean’s father had built for them. During this time his three beautiful daughters were born, Jeanne, Laurie and Mary.
After coming out of very humble beginnings, Jack’s career with General Motors was his proudest achievement. He started out picking stock and worked his way up to Executive Management. In 1967, he was promoted to Manager of the Pittsburgh Parts Division. He and his family enjoyed 13 wonderful years living in Bethel Park, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh. In 1978, he was promoted to be the Manager of the Denver Parts Division plant. This was also a momentous achievement in his life. He moved his family to majestic Boulder, Colorado, where he lived until his death. At age 58, Jack took an early retirement from General Motors and became an avid golfer. Most of his recreational time was spent at the Boulder Country Club.
He and Jean traveled extensively around the world. They loved to cruise. They traveled to Europe, the Mediterranean, Caribbean Islands, and Alaska. His favorite trip was exploring Ireland and having a tall glass of Guinness beer. Jack also loved the ocean. He and Jean spent many years as “snowbirds” residing in Delray Beach, Florida during the winter months. Jack was best known for his uncanny singing voice that sounded very much like Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley. His handsome looks had some people wondering if he was Burt Reynolds.
Jack is survived by his wife, Jean, daughters, Jeanne Myers and husband Greg, Laurie
Nichol and husband Tom, Mary Gillam and husband Ron, grandchildren, Keith and Kevin Tessin, Christina Nichol Perez and husband Luis, and Devin Nichol, great-grandson Landon Tessin, and great-granddaughter Lucy Perez.
A Memorial Service was held for Jack via Zoom on Thursday, March 24, 2022. The family greatly appreciates all those that were able to attend.
Please add your email to the updates section on this website so that you can be notified of the date and time. The Family also requests that his wife, Jean, would not be contacted at this time due to her fragile health. Thank you. Donations can be made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America https://www.bgca.org. or St. Jude's Hospital https://www.stjude.org
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