The family of G. Joe Lyon has planned a visitation and prayer service on May 28 ^th (Friday) 2021, from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.  A Prayer service for those wishing to join the family at 7:00 P.M. and continued visitation after.  All will be held at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home, 209 E. 7 ^th Street, Tama, Iowa.  If you would like to join the service online, Kruse-Phillips website will have a link using the blue Facebook icon there.

We appreciate that many of you have already sent wonderful notes and gifts.  Also, that travel and gatherings are difficult for many people at this time.  We are looking forward to having a large "Joe and Duffy" celebration around the dedication of the newly bronzed "Cow/Calf" statues sometime in 2022.  Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers, and the outpouring of stories and memories we have received since Dad's passing.

The family of G. Joe Lyon

Joe Lyon, 92, passed away Friday, January 22, 2021 in Tama under the care of Iowa River Hospice. Joe was born on November 10, 1928 in Toledo, Iowa, the third son of Earl and Helen "Nellie" (Zmolek) Lyon.

Joe has been called a "Dairyman's Dairyman," active in many dairy industry organizations at the national and state levels. But daily, Joe was found milking his own cows.

On July 22, 1950, Joe married Norma Duffield "Duffy" Stong in Ames, Iowa where he and Duffy had both completed their university degrees at Iowa State University. After a year of extension work, Joe returned to Toledo to join the family farm and his parents and brothers.

The Lyon family developed a renowned Jersey herd, showing purebreds across the country, breeding award-winning production cows and bulls of superior genetic lines. Joe judged cattle shows across the country and internationally.  He used his knowledge and leadership to reform the federal farm milk pricing system and to contribute to regional and national dairy industry boards. Though much recognized and well-traveled, Joe remained proud of his Tama County and Toledo, Iowa family heritage.

Joe often referred to himself as "The Husband of the Butter Cow Lady," being a supporter of his wife Duffy Lyon, who gained world notoriety for nearly fifty years of sculpting the "Butter Cow" and the "Cow/Calf" sculpture in Toledo and Iowa State campus. Duffy passed away in June of 2011.

Lyon is survived by seven of his nine children: Emily Lyon-Hansen (George) of River Falls, WI; Eric Lyon (Theresa) of Toledo, Michelle Lyon Juhl (Tim) of Greene; Valerie Lyon of Perth, Australia; Lori Lyon Hartman (Jon) of Dallas, TX; Kurt Lyon (Jane) of DePere, WI; and Doug Lyon (Steve Loucks) of Minneapolis, MN; two daughters-in-law: Bonnie Hill Lyon of Newberry, SC; and Kathy Collier Lyon of Clarence; 23 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren; his sisters-in-law: Margaret Lyon of Toledo; Barbara Lyon of Cambridge,  WI; many, many nieces and nephews, and his special friend Alyce Schavone of Spearfish, SD.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife Duff; two sons Mark and Greg; his older brothers Howard and Durward. (His younger brother Tom passed away a month after Joe.)