Sara Cecelia (Green) Lyons

Sara Cecelia Lyons, 101, of McKees Rocks, Stowe Township, passed away peacefully on Thursday evening, May 01, 2025 at Concordia Assisted Living Facility in Franklin Park, Sewickley, PA surrounded by her family and caregivers.

She was born November 30, 1923 in McKees Rocks, PA, to Catherine Ann (Boyd) Green and Carl Green, the youngest of 13 surviving children. She attended St. Francis de Sales School until high school, when she then switched to Stowe High School for 9th and 10th grade. She withdrew from high school subsequently, owing to family circumstances. She lived her entire, active life, growing up in varied locations in McKees Rocks and Stowe Township, finally abiding in a house in Island Heights since May of 1962, but also traveled widely in the US and once to Europe.

Two years after Sara was born, her mother died; one of her older sisters, Ida, withdrew from junior high school to assume the role of “mother,” one of several, significant women who played key roles in helping Sara become the extraordinary person she was.

Growing up with multiple, older siblings in extremely modest housing, with little income, shaped her childhood. Some older brothers and sisters were moved to an orphanage so that the younger ones could be accommodated and fed. Visiting them with her proud but tearful father, riding on a streetcar, was an experience she never forgot.

Her father died in 1938 when Sara was about to turn 15. The family “household” was broken up; she and one of her older sisters, Emily, moved into an apartment with two of their brothers and a friend. One of those brothers took on the “father” role.

Under these circumstances, Sara and Emily, teen-agers, were allowed to attend dances at the Roxian theatre, but had to be home by 10 pm. It was at a dance that she met her future husband, John “Red” Lyons, who happened to be a good dancer himself and caught her eye. A three-year courtship followed—they were married at St. Francis de Sales church by Monsignor Moore on 8 Oct. 1942, the 30th wedding anniversary of Red’s parents. Sara was 18 years old; Red was 24. Just as Sara had experienced the loss of loved ones early in her life, Red’s father had died of the Spanish flu two months before Red was born. Their shared emotional backgrounds enriched their relationship throughout almost six decades of a happy marriage.

As WWII was ongoing, Red, like millions of other men, enlisted in the Navy (a month before their wedding). He left the USA aboard a battleship for the South Pacific in late ’43, not to return to the USA until April, ’45. Meanwhile, Sara was pregnant with their first child, and was now living with her new mother-in-law, Ann, and two sisters-in-law in an apartment. Ann became another significant “mother” figure for Sara. Sadly, she died shortly after Red deployed, so Sara moved back in with her “other mother,” Ida, whose husband, Mike, was also in the South Pacific.

Sara’s first child, John, was born on 14 Feb. ’44. Red would not see him until he was 15 months old. Once reunited, Sara and Red and the baby initially lived with Ida and Mike, but eventually moved to an apartment in West Park. Another son, Jim was born 30 Oct. ’48. The family relocated to a row house with more space; a daughter, Nancy, arrived 8 Feb. ’56. In May, ’62, they built a free-standing house in Island Heights, where they lived thereafter.

Where ever they lived, they made lots of friends, entertained many guests, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and Red’s working colleagues from his job. Life often seemed a series of baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Weddings, and Funerals. Sara took on all of the usual roles that mothers/wives played in the 50s and 60s in raising children and caring for her family, but did it all with such generosity, understanding, and compassion that she soon became the person people confided in and wanted to be with and around. She was an especially good, intense listener, gifted with a natural instinct for reaching out to others or checking in on relatives and neighbors; she also had a mischievous sense of humor, bordering on being saucy; never used foul language; and popular right up to the end. When she was compelled to move the Assisted Living in Concordia, she set about making herself popular with staff and other residents, owing to her enthusiasm, lively interest in bingo, and tendency to race about the halls with her walker, despite being the oldest person in the building.

Her energy and capacity to get things done exceeded anything one could have expected from her modest upbringing and limited formal education. Unlike some other wives and mothers who started working at a part-time or full-time job in this era, she saw her role at home to be too important to compromise on, but she threw herself into a wide range of volunteer roles. The Catholic faith was always important to her—she became an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for to shut-ins and distributed Communion at Mass. She and Red participated in the Lenten Fish Fry at St. Malachy’s church, their parish for decades. She also worked the St. Malachy Parish bingo for many years. She became an expert, self-taught baker, creating dozens of varieties of cookies for showers, weddings and holidays. She and Red would visit Notre Dame in South Bend, for football games regularly, as their “adopted” Catholic alma mater. They were also leaders in the Cursillo movement. When Red retired, they went to daily Mass for years.

Aside from her vital role in the Church, she and Red continued to go dancing. They were passionate bowlers, went on AARP trips, and were active participants in card clubs with numerous relatives and neighbors. She especially enjoyed going to casinos, as she often had a streak of good luck at the “one-armed bandits.”

They were proud that their children had successful careers and families and were enthusiastically supportive of their pursuits, visiting them often and helping out when a crisis or challenge presented itself. They thoroughly enjoyed the role of grandparents and eventually great-grandparents and visiting everyone in different parts of the USA and even Europe once.

At the turn of the century, Sara once again experienced the losses of loved ones. After caring for Red at home for over four years, while he endured Alzheimer’s, she said her final good-bye to him in April, 2000. Three years later, her beloved sister Ida joined the angelic chorus.

Amidst these setbacks, Sara continued to demonstrate a zest for life. In her late 70s, she took up jogging and could be seen running the streets around McKees Rocks and Stowe, becoming quite fit. She volunteered her time daily for 15 years at Meals on Wheels, first as a “runner,” then driver, then meal maker, then kitchen/menu organizer. AARP trips, card club, and her church ministry work also continued. She was in a sanctioned women’s bowling league, and on one occasion traveled to Harrisburg to compete. In November ‘16, her PA driver’s license was renewed. A year later, at age 97, she bowled a perfect game and enjoyed a brief stint of fame on television as a result of a press interview and video that ended up on You Tube and other broadcasts.

She was invariably upbeat, enthusiastic, faithful and positive about life and set an example that garnered her admiration and respect among family, friends, and neighbors. In her final years, she especially enjoyed time with her great-grandchildren, and became a great-great grandmother three times.

Sadly, she was pre-deceased by her daughter Nancy Brindle (Tom). She is survived by her two sons: John K. Lyons and Rev. Msgr. James M. Lyons; by six grandchildren: Amy, Gil, Jennifer, Jamie, Michael, and Lauren; also survived by nine great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Sister of the late Harry, Katherine, Carl, Asberry, William, Ida, Thomas, Norman, Frances, Dorothy, Robert, and Emily Green.

Family and friends are welcome to pay their respects on Tuesday, May 06, 2025 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Anthony M. Musmanno Funeral Home, Inc. 941 McCoy Road, McKees Rocks (Kennedy Township), PA 15136. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 10:00 am, Archangel Gabriel Parish (St. Malachy Catholic Church), 343 Forest Grove Rd, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Burial will follow at Resurrection catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sara’s honor to:

Archangel Gabriel Parish: ArchangelGabrielParish.org/Give

Concordia Lutheran Ministries: https://concordialm.org/donate/

Meals on Wheels: c/o Methodist Church, 900 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks, PA15136

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