Ann Marie (Lyons) Nardone

Ann Marie (Lyons) Nardone, “the matriarch,” passed away from complications of Lewy Body Dementia Sunday at home with her daughter and husband beside her. She was 76.

She was born November 22, 1948, the second of six children, to the late T. Frank Lyons and Helen Scott Lyons.

At St. John’s High School, her many academic achievements included the Betty Crocker Homemaker Award, mostly, she said, because it was a written exam. She attended Marywood College on a full academic scholarship, received her Master’s Degree from Wilkes College, and taught in the Pittston Area School District.

She was a paid counselor at Fleming Park, where she could not flee the pursuit of her future husband, Jack. As a mother, she knew exactly what her son was doing and pretended not to, and she guided and consoled a daughter who told her everything.

She was generous not by trying but by being. Her intellect was complex, but her tastes were simple. She liked butter and chocolate cake. The Lyons family poured drinks when they gathered and sometimes forgot about the bird or ham in the oven.

Whereas her older sister, Mary, could carve her own current, Ann went with the flow. Even her eyes were adjustable, changing from blue to hazel to green depending on her surroundings.

She enjoyed quilting, reading, shopping, and socializing. She once won a ribbon at the Bloomsburg Fair for a hot-rod themed bed quilt she made for her son and now lies on her grandson’s bed. She and her family members would spontaneously break out in ear-piercing renditions of songs. She was a board member of the Jacquelines Society.

Her greatest challenge was the autoimmune conditions she faced through much of her life. She would call her husband and daughter her two angels, a rank she had already achieved herself.

As Mimi she defied her condition, running while cradling her infant grandson to calm his crying, even though he would later admonish her for running in “slow motion.”

She is survived by her husband, Jack, son, John (Trisha), daughter and best friend, Katie (Tim), grandchildren, Owen, Grace, and August, younger siblings, Tom, Patty, Joe, and Charlie, and relatives who considered her more than just a cousin, sister in law, or Aunt Ann.

Fortunately there are no clocks or watches in heaven, and her soul has reunited with her parents, her sister, and her sister-in-law Rita Ann.

The family will receive friends and relatives, Thursday, July 24, 2025 from 4PM to 7PM in Adonizio Funeral Home, LLC, 251 William St., Pittston.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, July 25, 2025 at 9:30AM in St. Joseph Marello Parish, 237 William St. Pittston. Those attending should go directly to the church. Private interment, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Carverton.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Greater Pittston Santa Squad, 11 Searle St., Pittston, or the Pittston Memorial Library, 47 Broad St., Pittston.

To leave an online condolence please visit adoniziofuneralhome.com

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