A Life Lived: Herman Lyons carried the horrors of warfare with energy and braveness
Revealed 2:20 pm Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Herman Lyons had a coronary heart larger than life. Bodily and mentally, he was impaired, having suffered from PTSD on account of his navy service in Vietnam. Nevertheless, he had a coronary heart of affection and loved giving.
“Many instances once we have been in a restaurant and consuming, he would see a household or somebody, and one thing inside him would compel him to pay for his or her meal. It introduced loads of gratification to him,” stated his sister, Kathy Wilson.
“My brother was a really sort and giving particular person. Herman had an enormous coronary heart and he was all the time checking on folks and inspiring them. He willingly helped folks once they have been in want,” she added.
Herman, when 18 years previous, was drafted into the US Military and served two phrases within the Vietnam Battle in transportation. Thus, PTSD adopted, which required remedy most of his grownup life. Whereas some folks can deal with almost any occasion with out long-term results, others are significantly extra fragile. The warfare was traumatic for Herman and left its mark for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, it by no means took his love for household and church nor for folks on the whole.
Herman was a long-time member of Grace Baptist Church, and though he was unable to attend providers, he faithfully supported it in different methods.
He was a graduate of Elizabethton Excessive Faculty and through his teenage years and earlier was a STAR newspaper service. Kathy additionally labored on the STAR after highschool.
On the age of 12, Herman coached a boys baseball staff of 8- and 9-year-olds. Kathy stated he made positive all the boys obtained to play, and he secured a sponsor that gave all the boys a T-shirt.
Herman additionally performed basketball and, in keeping with Kathy, was fairly good at it. “He stayed busy as a young person. He typically mowed lawns for folks, and I bear in mind him going to the Boys Membership,” she shared.
Throughout Herman’s final two years of highschool, he labored as a stocker at Winn-Dixie. He was then employed at North Electrical in Grey and was working there when he was drafted into the U.S. Military.
Herman had a particular love for music, particularly nation music of by-gone days. He not solely loved listening to it, however he loved writing lyrics and singing them. One in every of his songs was “If the Lord Drove a Ford.”
Kathy shared that Herman was hardly seen with no chew of Beech Nut tobacco, and he loved it a lot that he wrote a music about it, too. The music was titled “I’d Spit Out My Chew for You.”
At one time he performed the mandolin. Herman had a particular love for old-time music and listened to it so much. He additionally watched sport reveals, and one in every of his favourite issues to do was to eat out. Amongst his favourite meals have been spaghetti, soup beans, biscuits and Chinese language meals.
Kathy stated the household as a rule had Sunday dinner at her home. “We cooked and had a household meal, and my brother loved that,” she stated.
Over the last months of his life, Herman was cared for by varied dwelling well being businesses, the VA, the nursing dwelling at Roan Mountain and Hospital.
“Two weeks earlier than he died, my husband and I visited him on the VA, learn scripture and had prayer with him. It was then he requested that the hymn ‘Farther Alongside’ be sung at his funeral, and we made positive it was,” Kathy shared.
Herman had a young coronary heart and he lived a lifetime of service and gratitude. “He was sort, caring and really grateful for the care given to him. On the similar time he was humorous, loved making folks snort and doing issues for others,” Kathy stated.
“I’ll miss him, however I do know that his thoughts is at peace,” stated Kathy.
A good friend lovingly wrote on the funeral dwelling tribute web page: “Herman was among the many group that frolicked on the Blue Circle. Such good recollections. Vietnam was actually troublesome for him and so many others that we knew …”
One other tribute shared: “As a veteran of the Vietnam Battle he carried that horrific expertise all through his life. He carried that burden with energy and braveness.”
All of us might be grateful to Herman Lyons for his service and sacrifice to his nation and for every of us.
Herman was laid to relaxation on the Mountain House Nationwide Cemetery, the place he acquired navy honors.
