Mary Louise Lyon, 82, of Ozark, Missouri, was born March 28, 1940, in Nebraska City, NE., to Ivol and Alma Stever. Marylou passed away February 28, 2023 in Springfield, Missouri, surrounded by family and a cloud of witnesses who received her into heaven and into her eternal reward. She lived a life which is not able to be fully bracketed by the dates on her timeline. Rather, her life left a well-worn trail marked by the wheels of grace and compassion which continues to leave a timeless legacy by way of family and friends who were challenged by her example.

Born the fourth child of seven, to five brothers and a younger "tom-boy" sister, Marylou demonstrated poise, order, and dignity at a very young age. Commenting on her sister's rare appearance in a new dress, she uttered the words, "Sandy, you look so pretty in a dress!" These words demonstrated her propensity for affirmation and encouragement while simultaneously showing her adeptness at challenging those around her. She had an ability to confront those she loved in a way that made them feel like she was in total agreement, yet somehow communicated the need for change which was bathed in love and a resolute expectation to follow through.  She had a convincing way of motivating someone with a look or a word which communicated, "I think you can do better than that."

While growing up, Marylou cherished her family and specifically her time spent with her mother learning how to cook, sew, play piano, and keep a house. She had a desire from a very young age to be a mother and learned the importance of acts of service to those she loved. Many of her children remember fond times helping her in the kitchen making her famous chocolate chip cookies, licking the cake batter from the bowl, or times around the table feeding an army on a shoestring budget.  She had a way of even making a popcorn supper feel like a feast when there was nothing else to eat. Her kindness or sacrifice was evident in the realization by her kids that she would take the lesser pieces of chicken to make sure her kids were well fed.

Marylou Stever married Troy Lyon on December 28 ^th , 1955 in Nebraska City.  To this union, seven children were born: five boys and two girls; the third generation with this family structure.  Marylou prided herself in helping her husband through college, even claiming with satisfaction that without her reading and explaining his English literature to him he probably would not have graduated; a fact Troy did not dispute. While Troy began to build a career, Marylou began to establish a home which she defined as structured and warm. She was able to run the old wringer washing machine and hang clothes on a line in the furnace room, but would take a moment to sit down to rub the back of a child who was in need of being comforted.

While her husband was an educator by profession, Marylou proved herself to be the consummate teacher by nature. She explained germination to Troy, Jr. when he planted her chili beans in the yard; she taught Jess how to play Claire de Lune on the piano after he laid on the altar of St. Leo's listening to her practice. She demonstrated to Mary Beth that if you are determined and give enough gas to the old "Green Weenie" car,  you can get unstuck no matter how much smoke comes out of the back. Marylou agreed with Ross that it was okay to wear the same stylish striped pants every day as long as he would let her wash them every night.  She unashamedly showed Lynn it was okay for her to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of school each August by walking around the house, pumping her arms and singing,  "Freedom, freedom, freedom again!"

Marylou revealed to Kathleen she could wear a dress for first communion and it would be okay.  Little did Marylou know that Kathleen was wearing her baseball pants underneath the dress. Marylou established with Dean that she could teach the sex education unit at Junior High Catechism class and conveyed to him that he would "abide" by what she said. Finally, Marylou taught the grandkids that it was okay for Grandma to swear when she was teaching them how to drive in Grampa's "good car." However, the whole family agrees that Marylou should never be in the position of teaching anyone how to back up a vehicle.

Marylou loved to laugh and had her own distinct "cackle," which was as special as the twinkle in her eye when she was able to deliver a witty or clever response to her family or friends.  While she had a naiveté that spoke to her innocence and lack of worldliness, Marylou was not hesitant to speak life's truths into that which she deemed out of line or unhealthy. This diversity of response spoke to her strength of character and her ability to be fully present in the relationship in front of her. Marylou had the ability to have a quiet, thoughtful phone conversation with her daughter Mary Beth, while she was away at college, and then excuse herself for a moment from the conversation to yell loudly and convincingly, "JESS BE QUIET!" She would then resume the conversation with quietness and poise. She was equally effective in both genres of conversation!

Over the years, Marylou used the title "Lyon Queen" at various times. This was a title that was not demanded by her, instead, it was a personal recognition with gratitude of all that had been extended to her. Her children use words associated with nobility to describe the memory of their mother's presentation and character. These descriptions include: dignity, poise, class, a connector of people, receiving others as royalty, sacrificial, fiercely loyal, and fair.  Her children recognized the significance of these characteristics in very profound ways when they introduced her to other important people in their lives including spouses and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Several of her children's spouses remember when Marylou invited them to call her "Mom;" a title she never demanded. It was an invitation to a relationship which was easily accepted because being a mom was who she was. One of the greatest compliments for Marylou was for her sons to seek out a life partner who resembled her own attributes and characteristics. One daughter-in-law said, "She kissed me like one of the kids." She had the gift of hospitality that extended outside of her home and created an environment in which anyone who was with her felt like they had her full attention. She had the ability to listen with sincerity  and was easy to forgive. She encouraged those around her to do the same.

One did not have to be near Marylou for long before they had a sense of how important her faith was to her.  She had a deep spiritual up-bringing, being nurtured in a family with religious traditions and faith. As an adult, she took a step further when she embraced Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. This step of faith, along with her husband's, had a profound impact on the nature and culture of their family. She was a stalwart in her faith and she firmly invited those around her to join in her steadfast beliefs.  She believed the beginning and the end of all situations in life are rooted in an active faith and participation in a relationship with Jesus Christ. There are many adjectives used to describe the legacy of Marylou Lyon; however, her life demonstrated that her attitudes and actions were deeply rooted in her belief that there is a God who deeply cares about her yesterday, today, and continues to care about her as she entered her tomorrow. May we strive for the same.

Marylou is survived by her sister Sandy (Stever) Otto, of Kansas City, MO., brothers Ivol (Chip) Stever, of Mesa, AZ; Jim Stever of Battlemount Mesa, CO.; and children: Dean Ray and wife Annette (Alexander) Lyon, of Crane, MO.; Mary Beth (Lyon) Owens of Ozark, MO.; Troy Leon and wife Sandie (Young) Lyon, of Ansley, NE.; Lynn Lee Lyon and wife Mary (Stewart) Lyon, of Johnson, NE.; Kathleen (Lyon) Busch and husband Jonathan Busch of White Lake, SD.; Ross Edward and wife Cassondra (Hoback) Lyon of Giltner, NE.; and Jess Laverne and wife Kristi (Gray) Lyon of Ozark, MO.; along with a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as many friends along the way. She was preceded in death by: her husband Troy Leon Lyon, two little angels who preceded their mother to heaven, her parents Ivol and Alma Stever, her brothers Jerry Stever, Tom Stever, and Larry Stever.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Midwest Cremation and Funeral Services.