Virginia "Ginny" Lyon

Virginia R. (Lowman) Lyon, better known as “Ginny,” was born March 13, 1935, in Elgin, Illinois, the eldest of Donald and Josephine Lowman’s children. She grew up in Elgin, graduated from Elgin High School, and spent two years in community college before beginning the greatest education of all—life, family, and service.
 
Ginny married her longtime sweetheart, Thomas J. Lyon, on Christmas Eve in 1956. It was a fitting start to a marriage marked by devotion, faith, and more than a little adventure. The couple followed the Navy wherever it led during Tom’s 22½‑year career, and Ginny turned every duty station into a home.
 
Raising four children—often while Tom was deployed—Ginny proved herself resourceful, resilient, and unshakably loving. She did it without a car, without a washing machine, and without complaint. Tough doesn’t quite cover it.
 
Her heart for children found a natural home in Girl Scouting, where she spent over 60 years as a leader and trainer in numerous councils. She also served as Religious Education Director at several Navy chapels. As her own children grew, family life expanded to include hiking boots, camping gear, and plenty of outdoor memories. One of Ginny’s favorite chapters was the more than two years spent in Yokosuka, Japan, a time she remembered fondly for its beauty, culture, and adventure.
 
Ginny had a talent for filling every spare moment. If she wasn’t gardening, crocheting, knitting, baking, or making cards, she was probably watching football—or helping someone who needed it. After Tom’s death, Ginny moved from their farm to Ava, Missouri, where she lived for 30 years before relocating to Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
 
Virginia passed into the arms of her Savior on Friday, March 27, 2026, at Baptist Health Hospital in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, at 91 years of age. She is survived by three of her four children: (Mrs. Bill) Kathleen Miles, (Mrs. James) Deborah Pope, and Mr. Stephan Lyon and his wife Deborah; along with 10 grandchildren and 15 great‑grandchildren who were dearly loved.
 
She was preceded in death by her husband Tom; her parents Don and Jo; a sister, Barb Marty; a brother, David Lowman; her in‑laws, Lenora and Tom; a daughter, Christina Heotis; and a grandson, Joshua Pope.
 
Funeral services will be held on April 10, 2026, at 10:00 AM, being held at Destination Church, Ava, Missouri. Burial will follow in the Springfield Veterans Cemetery. 

Kentucky arrangements under the care of Brown Funeral Home.  Missouri arrangements under the care of Ava Family Funeral Home. 

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