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June 22, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:30 AM on Friday, June 28, 2013 from the funeral home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where at 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Irene Joan Lyons (nee Constantine) age 93 of Wayne died peacefully on Saturday, June 22, 2013.
She was born on February 1, 1920, and raised on New York City's Upper West Side. She was a graduate of Holy Name Grammar and High School. As an aspiring hairdresser and makeup artist, she attended the New York Academy of Beauty Culture upon graduation from High School.
To help pay her tuition, she worked part-time as a hat and coat-check girl at the Park Lane Hotel and at the elegant Hotel Chatham. It was while working in the Chatham, that she was approached by a scout from the Jon Fredrick School of Modeling.
Irene also worked at the Coliseum Theater. She loved going out dancing to the night clubs after work with her friends. That group included John Lyons, the theater manager.
One night Irene finally got up the nerve to ask John if he knew how to dance the 'Big Apple'. He said yes, and that was the start of a friendship and love that lasted 41 years.
Irene, like many other women, did her part for the WWll effort by working at Western Electric. After the war, Irene worked for New York Telephone as a switchboard operator. She continued to work until the birth of her twins. She then dedicated herself to raising her family.
On June 8, 1945, Irene and John were married at New York's City Hall, as John was on leave from the US Army in North Africa. A honeymoon soon followed in West Palm Beach Florida. They had their official church wedding on October 29, 1949 at St. Stephen's Church, 142 East 29th Street in New York City.
They enjoyed a loving and caring marriage of thirty-five years that can best be characterized as "best friends" before John's passing in July of 1980.
Irene was a true "city girl" who loved fashion, movies, walking her dog in Central Park and dancing to Big Band music. Irene and her family lived at 135 Terrace View Avenue, Bronx, NY, before moving to Jersey City. She would have stayed in New York City her entire life if her husband's work hadn't taken her to Jersey City where they lived before Irene moved to Wayne nineteen years ago.
She enjoyed crossword puzzles, reading and movie trivia. She had a great sense of humor and was a terrific cook and baker. Her many wonderful recipes, all made from scratch and love, will be greatly missed.
She was predeceased by her husband of thirty-five years John Lyons (1980); loving mother of Jane Lyons of Secaucus; George Lyons and his wife Debbie of Summit, and Susan Allaire and her husband Len of Wayne; cherished grandmother of Megan, Erin, Conor, Kathleen, Amanda, Ashley and Christopher.
Memorial donations to Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, PO Box 27106, NY, NY, 10087-7106 or Hospice of NJ, 400 Broadacres Drive, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:30 AM on Friday, June 28, 2013 from the funeral home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where at 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
June 22, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:30 AM on Friday, June 28, 2013 from the funeral home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where at 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Irene Joan Lyons (nee Constantine) age 93 of Wayne died peacefully on Saturday, June 22, 2013.
She was born on February 1, 1920, and raised on New York City's Upper West Side. She was a graduate of Holy Name Grammar and High School. As an aspiring hairdresser and makeup artist, she attended the New York Academy of Beauty Culture upon graduation from High School.
To help pay her tuition, she worked part-time as a hat and coat-check girl at the Park Lane Hotel and at the elegant Hotel Chatham. It was while working in the Chatham, that she was approached by a scout from the Jon Fredrick School of Modeling.
Irene also worked at the Coliseum Theater. She loved going out dancing to the night clubs after work with her friends. That group included John Lyons, the theater manager.
One night Irene finally got up the nerve to ask John if he knew how to dance the 'Big Apple'. He said yes, and that was the start of a friendship and love that lasted 41 years.
Irene, like many other women, did her part for the WWll effort by working at Western Electric. After the war, Irene worked for New York Telephone as a switchboard operator. She continued to work until the birth of her twins. She then dedicated herself to raising her family.
On June 8, 1945, Irene and John were married at New York's City Hall, as John was on leave from the US Army in North Africa. A honeymoon soon followed in West Palm Beach Florida. They had their official church wedding on October 29, 1949 at St. Stephen's Church, 142 East 29th Street in New York City.
They enjoyed a loving and caring marriage of thirty-five years that can best be characterized as "best friends" before John's passing in July of 1980.
Irene was a true "city girl" who loved fashion, movies, walking her dog in Central Park and dancing to Big Band music. Irene and her family lived at 135 Terrace View Avenue, Bronx, NY, before moving to Jersey City. She would have stayed in New York City her entire life if her husband's work hadn't taken her to Jersey City where they lived before Irene moved to Wayne nineteen years ago.
She enjoyed crossword puzzles, reading and movie trivia. She had a great sense of humor and was a terrific cook and baker. Her many wonderful recipes, all made from scratch and love, will be greatly missed.
She was predeceased by her husband of thirty-five years John Lyons (1980); loving mother of Jane Lyons of Secaucus; George Lyons and his wife Debbie of Summit, and Susan Allaire and her husband Len of Wayne; cherished grandmother of Megan, Erin, Conor, Kathleen, Amanda, Ashley and Christopher.
Memorial donations to Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, PO Box 27106, NY, NY, 10087-7106 or Hospice of NJ, 400 Broadacres Drive, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 would be greatly appreciated.
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