Annette L. Lyons

Due to the effects of the recent tropical storm, Annette's services have been rescheduled as follows:

Visitation hours will be held from 2-6 PM on Sunday, August 9, 2020 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Funeral services will be held at 10am on Monday August 10, 2020 at the funeral home then to St.Mary's RC Church, 17 Pompton Ave, Pompton Lakes where at 11AM a Funeral Mass will be celebrated. Interment will follow at Christ the King Cemetery, 980 Huron Avenue, Franklin Lakes.

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend Annette Louise Lyons (née Smith), of Wayne, NJ, passed away on Sunday, August 2, 2020 surrounded by her loved ones after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 73.

The eldest child of Howard and Giuliana “Julia” Smith (née Tedde), Annette was born in Bayshore, NY, and raised in nearby Freeport. A graduate of Freeport High School, Annette earned a BA in Education from SUNY Potsdam and an MA in Education from Adelphi University. Her 25-year teaching career started in Copiague, NY. After she moved to Wayne, Annette taught at the Packanack Cooperative Nursery School before teaching first grade at Randall Carter and Lafayette Elementary Schools. She loved her students, and many reached out to her in recent years to thank her for always believing in them.

Annette met Francis “Frank” Lyons when he asked her to dance at a Long Island nightclub. They would dance together for the next 48 years. In 1972, they married at Holy Redeemer Church in Freeport, NY, and settled in Merrick, NY, where they added four children to their family. In 1982, they moved to Wayne, NJ, to raise their children. During their retirement, they split their time between Wayne and their beachfront condo in Daytona Beach Shores, FL, which was a favorite vacation destination for the entire family.

Annette and Frank were avid travelers and took trips all over the world— Europe, Greece, Egypt, Turkey, and cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean and Mediterranean to name just a few of their adventures. But Annette’s favorite trip was their tour of America’s National Parks out West. They also enjoyed seeing shows in New York City and dining out with their many close friends. But, most of all, they simply enjoyed spending time together. They would often go out for a ride in their convertible to talk, laugh, and listen to music. They were truly inseparable; where one was, you would always find the other.

Annette’s pride and joy was her family. A devoted mother, she was her children’s constant cheerleader. She loved to make big, traditional meals and have her family gathered around her table, especially during the holidays. One of her friends said Annette had “an explosion of love” for her nine grandchildren and, no matter the distance, she and Frank always traveled to support them during their milestones and activities — just as they supported their own children throughout the years.

Annette is survived by her husband of 48 years, Frank Lyons, and their four children: Sharon Watts and her husband Ryan of Bethesda, MD, Patrick Lyons and his wife Tara of Rockaway, NJ, Peter Lyons and his wife Stacey of West Palm Beach, FL, and Tom Lyons and his wife Amy of Morris Plains, NJ. She also leaves behind her beloved sister Arlene Frederick of Freeport, NY; two brothers: Howard Smith of Hicksville, NY, and David Smith of Port Charlotte, FL. She will forever be cherished in the hearts of her nine grandchildren: Dylan, Kayden, Aidan, Zane, Elizabeth, Emma, Noah, Dylan, and Tyler.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in Annette's name are asked to consider The American Cancer Society NJ Chapter, 7 Ridgedale Ave, Suite 103, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927.  http://www.cancer.org