John Ritch Lyon II, 65, passed away on July 13, 2023 in Fayetteville, NC following a two year battle with cancer. He was born on April 23, 1958 in Greenwich, CT.
Raised locally, he was a 9th generation resident of the town, with the first Lyon, Thomas Lyon, settling in Greenwich around 1650.
As a child John grew up on 150 acres of land, much of which is the Lyon Farm subdivision in Glenville today. Lyon Farm ran until 1970. John held a great appreciation of the history of his family and Greenwich as a whole. His self-published book, A Century of Contentment, is an exploration of his family’s farm and relationship to the history of Greenwich.
John attended Greenwich Country Day School, and Rectory followed by Avon Old Farms in high school. He attended Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland and later completed his studies at Grandview College. John lived in the Northeast, Midwest, and the South, during
different periods of his life. He was a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. John’s curiosity accompanied him around the country and he acquired a wealth of knowledge as a result. John further explored the world as an avid reader and a writer.
His second self-published book was one of rhymes, highlighting the breadth of his interests.
John was also active in other ways. He was number one on the varsity tennis team as a freshman at Avon and was a dedicated player during his four years there. He played in the Junior Orange Bowl in 1972 in Coral Gables, Florida and many USLTA tennis tournaments. He was a ranked tennis player in New England in the early 1970’s. He was happy to discuss tennis with people and enjoyed reliving his time as a player.
Along with tennis, John was also passionate about nature and wildlife. He enjoyed bird watching and traveled to many places to observe animals. As with his other interests, John immersed himself in studies about the natural world and learned an immense amount about the outdoors and various animals and their habitats. At one point his passion in this area led to his owning a tree farm in Vermont. John spent the bulk of his professional life working in property oversight and as a realtor.
In recent years he had retired to Fayetteville, NC. His grit, spirit, and sense of humor never wavered when his health was in decline. Standing at 6 ft 4 he was a gentle giant. His larger than life presence will be missed greatly.
He is survived by his daughter, Stephanie A. Lyon, her fiancé Andrew Lewis, both of Greenwich, and his son John R. Lyon III of Fayetteville, NC. As well as his brother, Dean W. Ivey of Aiken, SC. He is preceded in death by his former spouse Lisa Branjord Lyon, father John R. Lyon, mother Sherrill Ivey Lyon Foster and brother Scott E. Ivey.
The funeral will be private in Rye, NY. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Greenwich Historical Society.