William Maury ("Billy") Lyon, the only child of James Maury Lyon and Willie Mae Lewis Lyon, was born in Mobile on July 29, 1927. Mr. Lyon is survived by his wife, Patricia Macon Lyon; two sons: William Maury Lyon, Jr. (Libba) and James Whitaker Lyon (Sue); four daughters: Patricia Lyon Garstecki (Gary), Nancy Lyon Haas (Leo), Victoria Lyon Stimpson (Ben) and Ashley Lyon Woods (Calvin); nineteen grandchildren: Maury, Christopher, Sara, and Mary Helen Lyon; Whit Lyon and Jaime Lyon Cooper (Colby); Allen, Allison and Patrick Garstecki; Alexander, Victoria and Anna Haas; Mae, Ellie, Julianna, Clara and Lydia Stimpson; Harrison and Anna Hunter Woods; two great grandchildren: Kyle and Cate Cooper; two sisters-in-law, Joan Macon and Eva Macon; and one brother-in-law, William Y. McDanel. Mr. Lyon attended Old Shell Road School and Murphy High School. After graduating from high school in 1944, he attended the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina for one year before joining the Navy in 1945, where he served on the USS Chicago. Following the end of the war, he attended Auburn University and the University of North Carolina. After college, he entered the drive-in theater business with T. J. Rester and Kenneth Giddens, opening the "Air Show" in Chickasaw and the "Auto Show" in Mobile. Shortly thereafter, he became a homebuilder with a lifelong passion for real estate development, partnering with Blacksher White-Spunner and Marl Cummings, Sr. to develop his first residential subdivision, Norwood, on the old Chickasaw Airport site. He developed scores of residential subdivisions, including Brookwood, Blacksher Downs, Tuthill Lane Estates and Carriage Hills, and sold lots to nearly every builder in Mobile. He partnered and developed numerous commercial shopping centers. He, along with Kenneth Giddens and Jay Altmayer, developed and built Bel Air Mall, which opened in 1966. Throughout the years, he continued to develop land, constructing subdivisions, shopping centers, office buildings, and residential homes in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Georgia. He was one of the founding board members of Commercial Guaranty Bank in Mobile, which later became SouthTrust Bank, and also served on the Boards of Bel Air Corporation, Mobile Gas Company, First Southern Federal, Altus Bank, the Drug Education Council, and the Alabama School of Math and Science. He was a member of several mystic organizations. He was currently the longest active member of the Home Builders Association of Mobile and received the E. L. Jones award in 2002. He witnessed and played an active role in Mobile for so many years, helping countless individuals, bankers, builders, realtors, friends and associates along the way. At a time in his life when most would have slowed down, he was on the move seven days a week, always curious, ready to share a good story or tell a great joke. He, along with his wife, Pat, are members of several civic and charitable organizations. Mr. Lyon grew up in First Baptist Church, and in 1980 became a member of Ashland Place United Methodist Church. He enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His generosity with his time and other assets in assisting friends and total strangers with alcohol and substance abuse problems is well known. He will be remembered for his generosity, kindness, unwavering friendship and a deep desire to help others. Memorials may be made to the Lyon-Lewis Memorial Scholarship at the University of Mobile, 5735 College Parkway, Mobile, AL 36613; Ashland Place United Methodist Church Building Fund, 2350 Old Shell Road, Mobile, AL 36607, The Drug Education Council, 3000 Television Avenue, Mobile, AL 36606; or favorite charity. Visitation will be Friday, February 4, 2011 at Ashland Place United Methodist Church from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 11:00 A.M. at First Baptist Church, 806 Government St., Mobile. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneral home-mobile.com Arrangements by:


Published in the Press-Register from February 3 to February 4, 2011