Richard M. Lyon

Richard Martin Lyon passed away at home on Thursday December 26 after a long illness. Richard held a law degree from Brooklyn Law School and a Ph.D. in labor relations from Cornell University. He was a partner at Seyfarth Shaw, an international law firm based in Chicago, and prior to that was a faculty member at the University of Florida and Notre Dame. When he moved to St. Petersburg in 1993, he became a member of the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College and served as an adjunct professor, teaching Constitutional Law and American Ideals at the college. He was the lead author for a series of comparative law source books on Canadian and European labor relations published by the American Bar Association and wrote about labor law issues in professional journals and newspaper editorial columns. With his wife Rhee, he edited The College Decision, a book of readings and discussion topics on the meaning of a college education. During his twenty years as a St. Petersburg resident, he served on the Pinellas County Library Board, as a volunteer in the legal office of the St. Petersburg Police Department and on the Civilian Review Board. Richard was a longtime member of the Illinois, Illinois Supreme Court, Indiana, and New York Bars, and after retiring to Florida took the bar exam and was admitted to practice here. Richard was born in Cologne, Germany but left at age nine in 1935 as Hitler came to power. He spent his youth in the British Mandate of Palestine, where his father practiced internal medicine in Jerusalem. Due to these experiences he was fluent in German, Hebrew and English and conversant in Arabic before he came to the United States, and he developed a keen interest in comparative legal systems after studying British, French, and Ottoman law as a beginning law student in Jerusalem. He also was an avid recreational runner and completed multiple marathons and races. He is survived by his wife Rhee; two sons, Randy and Drew; daughters-in-law Lisa and Jenny; and grandchildren Nick, Jeffrey (Jamie), Claire, Sarah, and Jessica. His passing will be marked privately by his family. The Richard Martin Lyon Scholarship for international business students was established some years ago at Eckerd College to honor his life-long interests in law, business, and education. A private cremation has been planned. David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Central Avenue Chapel in St. Petersburg is serving the family. Service Information