James E. Lyons

Jim Lyons, of Rochester Hills, died peacefully and suddenly in his sleep on August 2, 2023. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 57 years, Sherri, and is survived by daughters Jamie (Chris Eddy) Lyons-Eddy of Troy and Julie (Craig) Gillikin of Rochester Hills, and 5 grandchildren Max (Estelle Malmed) Eddy, Miles (Mads Kern) Eddy, Jules Eddy, Connor Gillikin and Anna Gillikin.

Jim was born to Dorena (Tank) and Kenneth Lyons in Pontiac, Michigan. He grew up in Waterford, Lapeer and Pontiac with his two younger siblings, the late Donna Lyons and Rick (Susan) Lyons of Lake Orion. He was close to extended family and told many stories about adventures with his cousins, with whom he kept in touch his whole life.

Sherri and Jim had their first ever date with one another in the 8th grade, graduated together from Pontiac Northern High School and were married at age 21. They started their married life in Ann Arbor, then raised their kids in Flint and Lake Orion before moving to Rochester where they lived for 26 years until Sherri’s death in 2020.

Jim was his high school senior class president and attended reunions for 60 years after graduating. He dually-enrolled at GMI (now Kettering) in Flint and the University of Michigan, where he did a five-year bachelors/masters program in mechanical engineering, receiving degrees in 1964 and 1965.

He taught mechanical engineering at GMI from 1966-1978, acting as an advisor and mentor in addition to teaching. He was still keeping in touch with former students in the months before his death. He loved teaching, and his family complained that if you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a watch.

Jim had a passion for cars and engines. After leaving GMI, he worked at Pontiac where he created the 301 Turbo Trans Am (https://www.motortrend.com/features/time-pontiac-turbocharged-trans/), and was chief engineer for the Firebird and the Fiero. He went on to be the director of Chassis Engineering at CPC, and was the GM Powertrain Chief Engineer of the LN2 2.2 L engine. In 1999, when his 5th and final grandchild had been born, he said “I want to retire and just be a grandpa now” and delighted in his grandchildren’s lives, and never missed a birthday, a game or a performance.

Jim was an enthusiast for life. He loved travel, cooking, tinkering, and learning about anything new. He learned to downhill ski in his 60s with his grandchildren. He was a woodworker until the accident that took two of his fingers, and may have continued if his family had not banned him from the saw. The heart and lung diseases that took his life infuriated him because he hated slowing down.

Jim’s daughters would like to thank his team of doctors, especially those at the University of Michigan, who gave him many extra years and allowed him to be with Sherri until she passed away. We also want to thank Sherri’s caregivers, Cindy Arcari and Diana Conley, who stayed helping Jim after Sherri died and his health started to decline. Their dedication to him was extraordinary. Thank you to his lovely neighbors, the Wexford Gang, who kept him up and moving until the very end. And finally, we want to thank Hospice of Michigan for their compassion and care in the last few weeks of his life.

A memorial will be scheduled in the fall. If you would like to be made aware of those arrangements when they are made, please send your contact information to the family at [email protected]

If you wish to make a gift in his memory, the family suggests one of the organizations below:

Voters Not Politicians, the Michigan nonpartisan democracy reform organization that his daughter Jamie co-founded and where she is now the Executive Director: https://votersnotpoliticians.com/memory

The James E. Lyons Endowed Scholarship at Kettering University: https://donate.kettering.edu/o/kettering-university/i/give-to-kettering/s/james-e-lyons-endowed-scholarship

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pixleyfh.com for the Lyons family.