Susan I. Lyons

Susan I. Lyons, aged 71, passed away on Friday March 16, 2018 from complications associated with dementia and the flu. Her final hours were spent at home, surrounded by family.

Born in Montebello California, Susan spent most of her life in Washington State. She was a strong, passionate woman, filled with love and zest for life. In the mid-1960s Susan attended Central Washington University and was instrumental in changing the student dress code so that women were allowed to wear pants on campus.

She graduated from Central in 1969, with a BA in Education and Drama and worked a variety of jobs across the state over the next decade, including bar tending, pharmaceutical sales, and fundraising for the March of Dimes. She met her husband Milo at a bar in Spokane in 1978 where he was sitting next to the only open seat. They hit it off and married a year later in Odessa, Washington.

Susan and Milo had two children, Courtney and Jimmy, and eventually settled in the Skagit Valley. Over the years, Susan worked as a teacher and in various charities, always serving, always helping. Her favorite pastime was spending time with her friends and family, often on boating trips in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands. She loved the saltwater smell of the sea and beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Preceded in death by her parents, Hobart and Lilly Middlebrook, Susan is survived by her husband, Milo J. Lyons, her children and their spouses, Jimmy and Shae Lyons, Courtney Lyons and Rhys Smoker, her grandchildren Casen Lyons and Cora Smoker, and her siblings Rick Middlebrook, Pat Martin and Marley Middlebrook.

Susan was a loving mother and a supportive spouse. Though dementia may have stolen her voice, it never dimmed the fire of her spirit. She will be sorely missed.