Douglas Lyons ’55

Born Aug. 4, 1933, in Cambridge, Mass., to Edith Hutchins and Kevin T. Lyons, Doug died March 8, 2016, at his home in Lyndonville, Vt., after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

Doug came to Princeton from Brown & Nichols School. He graduated cum laude from the Woodrow Wilson School, was the circulation manager of The Daily Princetonian, joined Campus Club, and roomed at 53 Campbell with Hans Kuehl. He spent two years in the Army and then married Diane Brackett, with whom he shared 55 years.

A bond trader and later vice president of municipal bond sales at Smith Barney, Doug was more than a financial guru. In 1971 he built a vacation home in East Burke, Vt., where he enjoyed an eclectic array of hobbies and passions, including escorting his wife and daughter to Saturday Mass, preparing evening repasts for guests and family that met the gourmet standards of Fanny Farmer and Julia Child and were enhanced by the full-flavor provender from his various gardens to rival Provence, “snapping his brutish forearms” as he drove golf balls lofty distances at the Orleans Country Club, hiking the serpentine paths carved into the woods near his perch overlooking the mountains, and poring in his “Patton Room” through the dense tomes from his extensive military history.

Doug is survived by Diane; son Crawford; daughters Jennifer, Joan, and Noël; sisters Deborah and Jean; and five grandchildren.