Bryan Paul Lyons, DMD, 50, died peacefully on May 31, 2020, at his home in Methuen, Ma. He was the devoted and loving son of John & Patricia (Yamello) Lyons of Nashua, New Hampshire, adoring partner of Sandra Wood Lehane, mother to Patrick & Sean, cherished brother to John Lyons, Serena (Bergeron) Lyons, Beth and Robert Schneider, and Mark and Jennifer (Giaimo) Lyons, and doting uncle to Kathleen, Christopher, Nicholas, Christina, and Vincent. He also leaves behind many aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends.
Dr. Lyons attended Nashua High School and the University of New Hampshire before attending Tufts University School of Dental Medicine where he graduated in 1995. He went on to start his own practice, Lyons Dental, which has served the Billerica, Ma. community for 25 years. During his early years of dentistry, he also taught Dental Hygienist classes at Middlesex Community College. Staff and patients of Lyons Dental have for years praised Bryan’s kind-hearted nature and charming disposition. His life-long ambition to be a dentist earned him the title of Uncle Herbie to his dear nieces and nephews, who named him, aptly, after the lovable elf who wanted to be a dentist in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
Dr. Lyons was an avid runner and triathlete who dedicated his athletic talents to numerous charitable causes including most prominently The Hoyt Foundation to which he devoted his life for over a decade to promote the inclusion of disabled individuals in sporting events. He became an intimate companion to Rick Hoyt, whose strength and spirit Bryan not only revered but emulated. Bryan’s tenacity and brawn led him to achieve the extraordinary feats of completing eleven Boston Marathons and of becoming a multi-time Iron Man Triathlon finisher.
Dr. Lyons has always been and will continue to be known for his limitless generosity, profound altruism, boundless energy, and, mostly, his contagious and stunning smile. His impact on the community of family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and everyone who was fortunate enough to come to know this incredible man has been expressed in hundreds of social media posts. Some of the most befitting comments include that “he made everyone around him better,” “he was a gift to the world,” “I was privileged to have known him,” and “he was an incredible human we were all so fortunate to know.” His parents have been praised for “raising an amazing son who always brought a smile to everyone’s face.” He was thanked by many for “the laughs,” for “making a difference in this world,” and for “making people smile everywhere he went.” One man in particular, who was both a friend and patient, astutely expressed the loss by declaring that his heart was heavy and his teeth were white.
Bryan has touched hundreds if not thousands of people in the world during the short time he was in it. His accomplishments have been noted by the Boston Globe, ESPN, and Katie Couric, and his passing has been commemorated by Runner’s World, CBS Boston, and Boston.com. He is being appropriately revered as a giver and altogether special person.
Bryan’s passions were Sandy, Rick Hoyt, running, giving back through charitable endeavors, the Red Sox, family, and, lastly, his beloved recently deceased Pug, Larry, who is surely being enveloped in Bryan’s loving arms in Heaven today. The world has lost an extraordinary man, but Heaven has been gifted with another Angel.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Bryan’s name to The Michael Lisnow Respite Center, 112 Main St., Hopkinton, MA 01748, www.hopkintonrespite.com. In light of Covid-19, a family funeral will be held. Bryan’s final resting place will be Pinewood Cemetery of Nashua at 98 Pine Hill Road, Nashua, NH. Arrangements are in the care of the FARWELL FUNERAL SERVICE, 18 Lock Street, Nashua. www.farwellfuneralservice.com
