Cherry Lyon Jones
Feb. 9, 1938 – Feb. 7, 2022
Cherry Lyon Jones, most recently of Homer, Alaska, passed peacefully from this world surrounded by her family on Feb. 7, 2022, after a brief illness.
Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, she attended Colorado College, where she was the only woman in the geology program. While at Colorado College, she met and married her first husband (and “ski bum”), Bruce Lyon. Upon graduating, they moved to the Monterey Bay Area with their young son in tow.
Several years later, after moving to San Francisco Bay Area’s central peninsula, they welcomed a daughter. While raising and caring for her family and many, many critters, Cherry taught preschool and became very involved in early childhood education. Once her children were well on their way, she followed her dream and opened a children’s bookstore, “If Wishes Were Horses,” that was widely considered one of the best independent bookstores of its kind on the west coast. The book store closed in 1992, but Cherry continued her involvement in the Palo Alto Storytellers Guild and remained a vibrant force in the local community, performing with the Los Trancos Woods marching band and generally having a good time.
Her husband passed in 1994, and Cherry married Fred Jones in 1995.
Together she and Fred moved to Minden, Nevada, where she was very involved in the Nevada Women’s History Project and portraying women of the American west through the local Chautauqua chapter.
Cherry began spending summers in Alaska with her family, and her interest in Alaskan history led to her authoring two book on Alaska: “More than Petticoats: Remarkable Alaskan Women” and “Myths and Mysteries of Alaska.”
During this time, she and Fred moved to Florida for the winter months, but her heart remained in the American West. Cherry and Fred moved permanently to Alaska in 2016 to be closer to family, and Fred passed in 2020.
Cherry was an ardent bibliophile and doll collector and nothing made her happier than being surrounded by her books and dolls. She was active in book clubs, reading groups and her beloved doll clubs her entire time in Homer.
Cherry is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Dave and Louise Lyon of Homer; daughter and son-in-law Becky Lyon and Ron Van Sickle of Homer; grandson Galen Lyon of Homer; brother C. Richard Wagner III of Amarillo, Texas; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins, scattered from coast to coast.
Donations in her name may be made to the Pratt Museum, Homer Animal Friends, or any of the numerous community organizations here in her adopted home town.
A private gathering will be held at her final resting place in Nevada’s Carson Valley.
