Mrs. Inez (Pronga) Lyons 1913-2004

PRONGA, LYONS

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 12/31/2015 at 22:10:59

Mrs. Inez Pronga Lyons, 90, of 1785 Hale St., died Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004, at home.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Harmony United Church of Christ, Zwingle, Iowa. Burial will be in Assumption Cemetery, Sylvia Switch, rural Zwingle. Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. today at Siegert-Casper Colonial Funeral Home, 390 N. Grandview Ave. Friends also may call after 1 p.m. Monday at the church.

She was born on Dec. 13, 1913, in Washington Mills, Iowa, daughter of Louis and Kate Pronga. Inez was the youngest of nine siblings and was preceded in death by all of them.

She graduated from Dubuque Senior High School and the former Bayless Business School.

She worked at Faber's Music Store during and after the Depression, and later worked at Trausch's Bakery, where her future husband, Bill, worked.

For more than 36 years, Inez was married to Wilfred F. "Bill" Lyons, who died in 1976.

Inez and Bill were lifelong dance partners and spent virtually every Saturday night enjoying big band music with their friends.

After her children were all in school, Inez became involved in a variety of their school activities, including being a Girl Scout leader for many years. After her children were grown, she returned to work for Faber's Music and then Star Uniforms.

After her husband died in 1976, Inez continued her love of dancing and became a member of the Flora Doras, a group of seniors who provided lively entertainment at nursing homes and many community events. At the invitation of then President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalyn, the Flora Doras traveled to Washington, D.C., to dance at the White House during National Senior Citizens Week.

Inez continued dancing, gardening and enjoying her family and friends until the last year of her life, when a series of illnesses made these activities difficult.

She was a lifetime member of Harmony United Church of Christ and for the past 30 years also attended Summit Congregational United Church of Christ in Dubuque.

Her kindness and caring, her humor and spark for life will long be remembered by those who love her.

Surviving are three children, Larry Lyons, of Dubuque, Pat Lyons, of Oakland, Calif., and Marilyn Lyons, of Truckee, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She also was preceded in death by her siblings, Hazel, Hilda, Bernice, Vern, Lester, Elva, Dora and Irma.

In lieu of flowers, an Inez Pronga Lyons Memorial Fund has been established.

The family would like to thank Dr. William Dall and his staff, Finley Homecare, the Area Agency on Aging and Hospice of Dubuque for all of their care and support.

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) - Sunday, September 12, 2004