Jerome Lyons, 81, died on Easter Sunday morning at his home in Sycamore. In his final years, he had bravely endured Lewy Body disease.

A Lithuanian-American, he was born in Melrose Park, Illinois, to Victor and Elsie (Zwirblis) Lyons. He was a 1959 graduate of Proviso East High School. In 1985, he married Karen (Farley) Lyons.

He was known for his booming voice, powerful grip and Paul Bunyan stature. If he had been a half-inch taller, his sister recalled, he would have been too tall to be eligible for the United States Army.

Jerry was a man of many gifts. A union pipefitter with Local 597, he worked on many Chicago area homes and landmark commercial buildings. He could build or fix just about anything. During one stretch, he and Karen remodeled houses under the business name, Blue Heaven Homes.

From a young age, Jerry was an extraordinary singer. When he was drafted into the Army and dispatched to Korea, he was selected for an elite singing group that traveled widely to entertain the fellow troops. It was said he once shared a stage with Danny Kaye.

After his military service, he performed in barbershop quartets and other highly regarded vocal ensembles. He sang bass for the Northbrook (Ill.) Chapter of a group called New Tradition. At Karen's funeral in 2020, even as the burdens of Lewy Body were encroaching, he stood at the altar and delivered a moving acapella rendition of "Amazing Grace."

He was an avid and accomplished sportsman. He hunted with both rifle and bow-and-arrow, and fished, as well. One of his fondest experiences was a hunting trip to the plains of South Dakota.

He and Karen especially loved spending time at their cottage retreat on Lake Thunderbird, near Princeton, Illinois.

Jerry is survived by his children, Christopher Lyons, of Willowbrook, Illinois; Jeffrey Lyons, of Rowland-Heights, California; Carrie (Thomas Heaphy) Lyons-Greene, of Lenexa, Kansas; his sister, Kathleen Opalinski; his brother, Richard (Diane) Lyons; three grandchildren; his nephews; Karen's children, Dirk Johnson, of Sycamore; Cynthia (Benjamin) Chereskin, of Jackson, Wyoming; Rachel (Ted) Strack, of Sycamore; Jennifer (Rich Neubauer) Johnson, of Sycamore; Karen's eleven grandchildren and her two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Karen Lyons; and a brother, Michael Lyons.

Jerry formed a strong bond with his devoted caretakers. Susan Escamilla shared his passion for musicals and John Wayne movies. Cheryl Jelinek frequently took Jerry along to visit her family on her sister's farm. Jose Villamar strummed the guitar as Jerry sang classics like, "Can't Help Falling in Love."

The Very Rev. F. William Etheredge will officiate the Memorial Mass at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 13, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sycamore. Prayer service and burial, with a military salute, will follow at Elmwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association in care of the Butala Funeral Home, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL. 60178.

To sign the online guest book, go to www.butalafuneralhomes.com