Obituary of Mary B. Lyons

Mary Bartkowiak Lyons passed away Saturday, November 13, 2021 at home with her beloved husband, Jim and devoted daughter, Katie by her side. She was born on Tuesday, September 12, 1939 in Dunkirk, NY to Helen {Applegate} and Raymond Bartkowiak. After graduating from Cardinal Mindszenty High School and D’Youville College, she taught Language Arts and worked for the Rochester Girl Scout Council, initially as Field Director and later Program Director. After marrying in August 1969, she and Jim moved to Glastonbury, CT where she joined the staff of the CT Valley Girl Scout Council, until they adopted their daughter. She stayed at home doing daycare and substitute teaching. She especially loved upper level classes and vocational education. In 1989 she discovered the Pampered Chef and became an Independent Consultant; she did this for 32 years, retiring in November 2021 as an Executive Director having sold over $1,000,000 in kitchen tools. This helped fund her love of gardening. She enjoyed local garden clubs, Federated Garden Club activities and became an expert floral arranger and Accredited Flower Show Judge. In addition to her numerous flower gardens she developed a passion for Hostas, collecting over 200 varieties and generously shared her plants. She enjoyed watching UCONN women’s basketball, the Buffalo Bills, was a voracious reader, skilled knitter, an avid bird watcher and amazingly creative. In the early years she and Jim enjoyed spending fall weekends in Misquamicut, RI. Her family loved spending over 35 years on Sanibel Island in Florida, shelling, walking to the lighthouse and spending many hours with old friends. She and Jim loved traveling the world together with the Pampered Chef and friends, particularly enjoying the Greek Isles and Costa Rica.

In addition to Jim and Katie, she leaves behind her step-daughter Stephanie Stoloski, her husband Carl and granddaughters, Becky and Carla of Appleton, NY; her brother John and his wife Annette of Lancaster, PA; her sister Jane Kwieciak of Orchard Park, NY; her sister Christine Sanderson of Las Vegas, NV; brother-in-law David Lyons and his wife Susan of Manchester, CT and many sweet nieces and nephews.

Mary requests any donations be made to your favorite charity and if you send flowers, please omit lilies as they remind her of funerals! From Mary, “Thank you everyone for a wonderful life”.

The family wishes to thank the doctors and nurses at the Melanoma Clinic at Yale {especially her nurse Anja}, the nurses and aides from Hartford Healthcare Hospice and the outpouring of love for Mary, as demonstrated by the cards and flowers from her friends over the past few months.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday Nov. 19 at 11am at Ss Isidore and Maria Parish in St. Augustine Church, 55 Hopewell Rd., South Glastonbury. Friends may call at the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury on Thursday Nov. 18 from 3:00 to 5:00pm. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com