Henrietta, NY - Deacon Robert E. Lyons, who served his entire 15-year permanent diaconate at Henrietta's St. Marianne Cope Parish, died Feb. 12, 2026, after a long illness. He was 78 years old.

Deacon Lyons was born in Corry, Pa., near Erie. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University and a master's in business administration from the University of Rochester.

A convert to the Catholic faith, Deacon Lyons became a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes in Brighton. He was ordained to the Diocese of Rochester's permanent diaconate by Bishop Matthew H. Clark on June 4, 2011, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. He had retired one year earlier from Xerox Corp., where he was an electrical engineer and systems engineer.

Upon ordination, Deacon Lyons began serving the three-church cluster of Good Shepherd and Guardian Angels in Henrietta and St. Joseph in Rush; the cluster transformed into St. Marianne Cope Parish in 2012. Deacon Lyons remained as parish deacon following the closing of Good Shepherd in 2019 and St. Joseph in 2024.

"He had a special affection for the Eucharist and serving as a deacon during the liturgies. That was very important to him; it meant a lot to him," said Sister of Mercy Sheila Stevenson, who retired in 2025 as St. Marianne Cope's pastoral administrator. "We're grateful for his service at St. Marianne Cope. He will be greatly missed by all of us."

Deacon Lyons was granted senior status in September 2023, continuing to serve on a limited basis at St. Marianne Cope due to health concerns.

"He was very determined to continue his ministry," said Deacon Donald Eggleston, who was a 2011 ordination classmate of Deacon Lyons.

"He was a real kind and very bright man — just a wonderful, wonderful deacon," Deacon Eggleston added.

"He was a man of few words — a nice guy, committed to his ministry," remarked Deacon Edward Giblin, diocesan director of the permanent diaconate.

Deacon Lyons was active in the Knights of Columbus as well as Habitat for Humanity. In addition, he was a longtime member of the Brighton Fire Department. Deacons Eggleston and Giblin also noted that Deacon Lyons became a lacrosse official later in life. They said he did so largely to carry on the memory of his only child, James, who had been a standout high-school lacrosse player. James Lyons, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was killed in action in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 27, 2006, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Deacon Eggleston said that Deacon Lyons and his wife, Marcia, "were very committed Gold Star parents" — family members who have lost a loved one in the line of military duty: "A lot of their life was committed to him, to his memory."

Deacon Lyons' funeral Mass will be celebrated Feb. 28, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. at Guardian Angels Church, 2061 E. Henrietta Road, Henrietta.

— Courier obituary by Mike Latona