John Patrick Lyons ’45

John Lyons died in Florida, surrounded by family members, Feb. 27, 1997. He was 76.

John grew up in a traditionally Irish environment in Newark, N.J., and prepared at Newark Academy. At Princeton he initiated a lifelong attachment to Italy and things Italian. His tenure at Princeton was interrupted by WWII, when he served in various places, including northern Italy, where he began to master the Italian language. He graduated in 1948 with a degree in modern language and literature, specializing in Italian; he received the William Koren Memorial Prize in Italian, and continued his studies at the U. of Perugia in 1948. John was a member of Dial Lodge, and of the Catholic Club, an early evidence of a lifelong interest in the faith.

John spent over 40 years in the insurance business. He worked with the Insurance Co. of North America, which assigned him to Italy, and in the early 1960s joined a small Italian insurance broker, a predecessor to Marsh & McLennan Italia. He returned to NYC in 1973, continuing (with a brief interruption) with Marsh & McLennan until retiring in 1991.

John spent endless fascinating hours with friends considering the history and current circumstances of his areas of principal interest: Italy, the Catholic Church, insurance, and sometimes Ireland. He is survived by his children, Anthony, John, Maggie Biegelsen, and Rachel Levi, and by his siblings, Nancy Marsh and Michael.

The Class of 1945