Jack Lyons November 9th, 1931 -October 13th, 2022.

Beloved theater critic, writer, producer, and raconteur, Jack Lyons passed away after a short battle with advanced prostate cancer on October 13th in Desert Hot Springs, California, where he had resided for 30 years.

Originally from the Windy City of Chicago, Jack was the son of John A. Lyons, a Chicago police officer, and Mary S. Lyons, a long-time employee of American Airlines. An avid hockey fan and movie fan, Jack enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as an air traffic controller during the Korean war. In 1953, he was posted to a British Air Force Base, and through friends, he met his wife, Christina, a London native. After a two-year courtship, the two were married in London and returned to Chicago to start their family.

In April 1956, their only child Lisa was born. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1961, joining his parents and younger brother, Jerry, who had already moved west. Once there, Jack found his true calling when he joined the local community theater, the Kentwood Players. He initially dreamed of being an actor but soon realized he was a far better producer and public relations man for the oldest community theater in Los Angeles. In the mid-1960s, Jack enrolled at Loyola University to earn a Bachelor's degree in Communications. It was there that he met his second wife, Jeannette. After graduation, he worked for acclaimed documentary producer David Wolper. His filmmaking skills led to a job at Northrop Grumman, where he worked as an industrial filmmaker until the 1980s. He subsequently became Vice President of Corporate Communications and parlayed his skills into a regional manager role with Commuter Transportation Services in Los Angeles. In 1982, Jack and Jeannette moved from Culver City, California, to Desert Hot Springs' Mission Lakes Country Club. Both J & J ( as their friends called them) were avid golfers and award-winning theater community members in the Coachella Valley. They began leading golf tours to Canada and the UK for friends and neighbors at Mission Lakes, but Jack always longed to combine his love of performing and theater in a meaningful way. At age 74, he finally realized his dream of working as an on-air personality in the Palm Springs area. He worked with local good news radio host Bonnie Gilgallon and then provided Both stages. He eventually began running film and theater reviews for the Desert Star Weekly newspaper and online for Desert Local News. He was an active American Theater Critics Association member and persuaded his daughter Lisa to join. She encouraged him to start his own social media outlet, and together they created their blog, Lyons Views, News, and Reviews, showcasing their writing talents.

After Jeanette's passing in 2014, Jack slowed down but continued to write, mentor young people (which he was very good at), and continued to entertain people with his great stories, in which he played all the parts, of course!

In accordance with his wishes, Jack was cremated with no funeral plans. Instead, he will be laid to rest along with his loving wife at the Riverside National Cemetery.

However, his friends at the Desert Theatre League plan a Celebration of Life for Jack in the next few months. Details will be shared when finalized.

Jack is survived by his only daughter Lisa, his niece Diana Bell of Manhattan Beach, his niece Mary Margaret Dopp (Bill) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his cousins Steven McAvoy (Anita) of Lake Zurich, Illinois. His parents, his younger brother Jerry Lyons, and his nephew David Lyons preceded him in death.