Mary Eugenia (DaSilva) Lyon, 90, of Hanson, Massachusetts died peacefully at her home of 52 years surrounded by family on Tuesday, June 11, 2019. Her parish priest, Fr. Kwang Lee, at St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church prayed with her before she passed in the afternoon.
Born in her parents’ home in Whitman, Massachusetts in 1929, Mary was the third child and only daughter of Maria and Ernest A. DaSilva, Sr. She was married for more than 60 years to the late Gilbert E. Lyon, a World War II veteran and commercial artist from Brockton. Mary is survived by two sons: Kevin (Azize) of Germany and Christopher (Lynn) of New York. She was a grandmother to three.
Mary was predeceased by her brothers, Damon (Hazel) DaSilva, Sr. and Ernest A. (Doris) DaSilva, Jr. Her brother, Joseph (Dorothy) DaSilva lives in Pennsylvania.
She graduated from Whitman High School in 1948. A homemaker for most of her life, Mary loved her husband, Gilbert, deeply and was passionately devoted to her family. After her boys were in high school, Mary ran the snack bar at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, allowing her to stay connected to another generation of young people and the educators at her alma mater. For several years, Mary worked for the Town of Hanson at the polls on election days. This engagement allowed her to stay in touch with most of the registered voters in her hometown on at least a couple days each year. She may have been the most chatty election worker in Hanson’s history.
Mary was an avid and loyal sports fan – especially in games in which her family members participated. Her life was made enormously better at age 75, when her beloved Red Sox won the World Series. She faithfully cheered the Patriots when they posted a record of 1-15. Mary savored every one of the Patriots’ six championships with Bill Belichik and Tom Brady at the helm.
Although small in stature, standing a mere 5’ 1 ½” tall, Mary possessed a vivacious personality and was cherished by the large number of friends, family, colleagues and former classmates for whom she always was a high-spirited presence. In her later years, Mary assumed the role of matriarch of her extended family.
Mary was active in her church – St. Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson – and in her community. She ran a highly disciplined Cub Scout den and almost never failed to be the first person to pitch-in to get something important accomplished. She volunteered for years for the Whitman & Hanson Dollars for Scholars program.
Mary will be deeply missed. The little Portuguese-American girl with a big personality and endless energy had an eternal impact on those blessed to know her. She was an original. There will never be another quite like Mary Lyon.
Visitation hours for Mary Lyon will be from 2 pm to 4 pm on Sunday, June 16 at the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, Plymouth Street (Rte. 58 at the Rotary) Whitman. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 9 am on Monday, June 17, with a committal ceremony at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne to immediately follow.
Memorial donations may be made to Whitman & Hanson Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 26, Whitman, Massachusetts 02382.