Clarence Floyd Lyons Jr., age 76, died Tuesday, July 3, 2018, at his home in Peachtree City, Ga.
Clarence is survived by the love of his life, Janice Kay Bahney Lyons, of Peachtree City, Ga; they wed on September 11, 1965, and were married for 52 years.
Above all else, Clarence cherished his family and friends. Along with his wife, he is survived by his sons, John Lyons (Nancy) of Peachtree City, Ga., and Keith Lyons (Gloria) of Springerville, Ariz.; granddaughters Madeline and Veronica Lyons of Peachtree City, Ga.; a stepgrandson, Adam Palmer, of Athens, Ga., and his two sons; a sister, Charlotte Graham, of Sioux City, Iowa; eleven brothers- and sisters-in-law; many nieces, nephews, and cousins; and an extended circle of friends.
Clarence was born on July 16, 1941, in Sioux City, Iowa, to the late Clarence Floyd Lyons Sr., and Augusta Wilhelmina Bruggeman Lyons. He graduated from Central High School in Sioux City, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa, receiving a B.A. in political science in 1963 and an M.A. in American history in 1971. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for six years.
Clarence and his wife moved to Arlington, Va., in 1967 as he embarked upon a 35-year-long career as an archivist with the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C. During his time at the Archives, he served in a variety of positions. He was Branch Chief of the Legislative, Judicial, and Fiscal Branch for 12 years; this work included the records of the Warren Commission. He served for six years as Acting Director of the Nixon Project (equivalent to a presidential library director), which covered the preservation and release of President Nixon’s official materials, including the infamous oval office tapes. He completed his career by serving for eight years as the Chief of Archives II Reference Branch in College Park, Maryland, where his work included research of Nazi-looted gold.
Upon retirement from the Archives in 2002, Clarence and Jan moved to Peachtree City, Ga., to be closer to family–especially their young granddaughters. During retirement, he volunteered at the local library and collaborated with two other authors upon a book, Images of America: Peachtree City, that was published in conjunction with the town’s 50th anniversary.
Clarence enjoyed all sports, including biking, but he had a lifelong passion for baseball–most of his life as a Dodgers fan and then as a Braves fan upon his move to Georgia. He and friends attended spring training in Florida or Arizona for over 20 years. Clarence and Jan also had the opportunity to travel extensively, including several trips to Arizona to visit his son, trips to Iowa to visit extended family, other trips inside the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and visits to Europe including France, Germany, Switzerland, and Great Britain.
In 2014, Clarence was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and received a lung transplant in early 2015; that gift of life enabled him and his family to enjoy several additional years together, which they all treasured. Through the health challenges that ensued over those last few years, he faced them all with grace and courage, inspiring all his loved ones with his fortitude and love for life.
Visitation will be on Saturday, July 21, 2018, at 3 p.m., with a memorial service immediately afterwards at 4 p.m., at Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home, 135 Senoia Road, Peachtree City, Ga. Friends and family are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to The Georgia Transplant Foundation or the American Lung Association.
