Thomas (Tom) Lyons

Dear Arline , Bill & Helen
Please accept our condolences on the passing of your dear father . A wonderful & loved man as our Ambassador representing the
Irish community in Tehran .
May God bless his dear soul & give comfort to you all .
With great respect
Maureen & Bahram Anisi ( Tehran )

I worked with Ambassador Lyons for over 2 years at the Embassy of Ireland in Bratislava, Slovakia. I have great memories on both Ambassador and Arline, his wife. My deepest condolences to Arline and Bill, their children. May he rest in peace.

I was very sorry to hear about Tom. As so many have said, he was a gentleman and a very good colleague. Sincere condolences to Arline and Bill and all the family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

Deepest condolences to the Murphy and Lyons families on the sad passing of Dom. May he Rest in Peace.

Dear Arline & Bill,

I'm very sorry for your trouble. Tom was a good friend to our family, and I remember with great fondness his and Arline's generosity to me when I started out as a bewildered post-doc in Paris in '96. Love and condolences to you both.

Great saddened to learn of Tom’s sudden passing. He was a valued colleague and kind soul in DFA. Deep sympathy to his family. Declan

We were shocked and saddened to hear of your Dads untimely passing.
We live directly behind and have had many a chat over the fence. He was a lovely man. May he rest in peace.

Dear Arline and Bill, I am very sorry to read of the death of your dear Dad Tom. I lived with my parents for a short while, the late John and Sheila Gaffney, next door to your Mam and Dad, at number 15 Wendell Avenue. Tom and Arline were such good neighbours, they all loved their wine and were big into cooking, while having good crack too!
When John Gaffney died they were so good bringing Mam on her shopping trips to Superquinn every week, she chose the time, at such an ungodly hour for a retired couple!!
I will never forget their kindness and would like to thank you.
We are thinking of you during this sad time.
May Tom rest in peace with his beloved Arline
Gillian (Gaffney)

Tom was a gentleman and a scholar. We shall never forget his erudition and his good humour as well as the many happy occasions we spent together with his dear wife Arline. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
To Bill and Arline we send our sincere condolences.

Dear Arline and Bill, my sincere condolences on the death of dear Tom, a wonderful colleague and mentor during my career in the Department. I remember with great fondness working with Tom in the Embassy in Paris, his erudition, his humour, gentleness and great kindnesses. Simply a fine gentleman and a beautiful human being. May Tom now rest in peace along with your dear mother, Arline.

Tom and I joined the Department off the same competition way back then. He was a very decent human being and a wonderful colleague. I trust the powers above will be able to accomodate his infectious laugh.

My deep sympathy to Arline and Bill, and to Helen Tom's sister. May he rest in peace.

Sending our condolences to Tom’s children and his extended family. He was a gentleman and a wonderful Neighbour. May he rest in peace.
Enda, Mick and family

My late mother was a next-door neighbour of Tom and Arline for many years. She was so fortunate to have them (as well as you, young Arline and Bill) as kind and caring friends. I met them socially many times, and always enjoyed their company and hospitality.

Tom was, of course, both well-read and erudite. At the same time, he was jovial and witty, and well able to talk about any topic that came up - which must have been a big advantage during his long diplomatic career.

Not many people may know that Tom tried his hand at amateur carpentry. I still have in my bedroom a bookcase that he made and gave to me. It’s not Chippendale or Sheraton, but it serves its purpose!

I shall miss him. Brian Gaffney

My sincere condolences to Arline and Bill and to all Tom’s wider family. Tom was my boss in the early days of a career in DFA but far more importantly he was a shrewd, generous and informed mentor. We bonded too over the shared experience- at different times- of serving at the Consulate in Chicago where he was well and fondly remembered. May he rest in peace. Peter Gunning

Sincere sympathy to the family of Tom. A very sad time for you all.

Clare Murray and family (neighbour)

Tom embodied the gifts of wisdom, empathy, modesty, very hard work and humour. In 1976 the Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave visited Chicago, where Tom was Consul General, as part of the Bicentennial of US Independence. With less than one day's notice Tom arranged for us to meet with 'the Mayor' the all-powerful Richard Daly. Daly received him with enthusiasm , put his feet up on his desk and kept us intrigued for several hours with heart-stopping political stories of Waterford and JFK. Outside his office hundreds of CEOs in 'thousand dollar suits' had been waiting for weeks. I , a mere flunkey from Dublin, thought: 'this is real diplomacy; this is political power'. How lucky Ireland was to have such a gifted representative. In the event Daly proudly stopped the traffic for Cosgrave across five Illinois counties, ignoring the deafening consternation of millions of drivers , and received him like a rock star.

To dear Arline and Bill.
I send my deepest condolences to dear Arline and Bill. Fond memories of sharing a close friendship ,beginning in NY when we were all Irish Govt officials .
Happy memories of babysitting ypu , little Arline when you were a tiny, lovely baby in Manhattan .
I am in France and will join in Toms funeral service on line . May he rest in prace .
Anne TORMEY in Cannes

Noelle and myself were saddened to hear of Tom’s death.
He had a keen intellect, a great sense of humour and a wonderful appreciation of the finer things in life.

Arline and Tom were our neighbours and friends for many years.
We will treasure the many memorable times we shared with them.

Sincere condolences to Arline and Bill.

Deepest sympathies to Arline, Bill amd the extended Lyons family. Tom was a wonderful colleague to all of us who had the privilege of working with him. A fine public servant and diplomat, he was a credit to himself, his family and the country. Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh aige.

A sweetheart of a man, may he rest in peace. Condolences to his family.

Like many of his former colleagues in DFA, Aiglie and I would also like to express our condolences to Tom's family on his passing. As is evident in the many comments of his former colleagues, Tom was universally liked for his astute mind, his calmness under pressure, his good and witty humour and was always a person you could come to for advice on any problem. He will be missed. Rest in peace, Tom.

I was so sorry to hear of Tom's death. My heart goes out to Arlene and Bill on the loss if their loving father. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Tom’s family. A kind and generous gentleman, he will be greatly missed.

Very sorry to hear of Tom’s passing.
My deepest sympathy to all the family.

I was so shocked and sorry to hear the news of Tom’s passing. Thinking of Arline and Bill and the extended family & friends, at this very sad time! Tom was such a good friend to Mum, especially after dad’s passing. RIP Tom

On behalf of our entire team at the Embassy of Ireland in Bratislava, please accept our deepest sympathies and condolences on the passing of Ambassador Tom Lyons.

I wish to extend my sincere condolences to Arline and Bill. It was thanks to Tom’s encouragement and positive engagement that I ended up working for the United Nations. Tom literally helped change my life.
May he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to his family and friends on Tom’s passing he was a wonderful colleague and one of life’s gentlemen.

Sincere condolences to Arline and Bill on the passing of your father, Tom. He was an excellent colleague and friend during our time in the Department of Foreign Affairs and in Paris. He was a beautiful man with a wonderful sense of humour.
Pat and Patricia O'Connor

Deepest sympathy to Arline,William, Helen and extended Family. Rest in Peace Dom

We are very sorry to hear of Tom's passing, a lovely man and a great colleague to work with, who gave great service to Ireland at home and abroad. Deepest condolences to Arline and all his family. Suaimhneas síoraí dá anam dílis.

Our most sincere condolences on the sad passing of Tom to his family.
May he RIP
Tony and Bernadette Briscoe

Very sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. He was a great colleague and friend over many years in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Deepest sympathies to his family. May he rest in peace.

I was shocked and saddened today to learn of Tom's passing. My sincere condolences to his family from all our family.

Arline and Tom were a special DFA couple; they made an enduring contribution wherever they served. Tom was the type of person we were all happy tpo serve alongside; calm, kind, compassionate and witty, a rich sense of humour!

Our sympathies go to their children, Arline and Bill and all the Lyons family. Ar dheis Dé go raibh an anamacha. May Tom and Arline be reunited in the company of the angels.

Arline and Tom were a special DFA couple; they made an enduring difference wherever they served. Tom was the colleague everyone was happy to work alongside, kind, compassionate and calm amid hubris. He had a wonderful spirit and a great sense of humour!

Our sincere condolences to the Lyons family; ar dheis Dé go raibh an anamacha. May he rest with the angels.

So sorry to hear this news. Tom & I slaved together as Third Secretaries in DFA back in the day. He was a truly wonderful man with a great sense of humour. He will be sorely missed. Our condolences to all his family and friends.
At dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.

We send our deepest condolences to Tom’s daughter and son.

I got to know Tom when I was a child in the USA - he and my father used to get up to great merriment and wit as friends and colleagues. Tom taught me how to play chess and I was deeply fond of him and his humour then and the last time I saw him about 6 months ago. What a lovely man.

Deep condolences on my part and on behalf of Carmen on the passing of Tom who was a valued friend and colleague in the Department of Foreign Affairs over many decades. My sympathy to Arline and Bill.

May Tom's soul rest in peace, Amen.

May his family and loved ones be consoled, Amen.

Arline , Bill and Helen , please accept my sincere condolences .RIP Tom .

My deepest condolences to Helen,Arline Bill and families Sorry to hear the passing of Dom ,I Rember him so well a child Beautiful man So good looking he was,Hope ye will find comfort in all wonderful memories of him May he. Rip with his Beloved wife and late family My tought and prays are with ye at this Sad time 🕯️🕯️🙏🙏🌹🌹🕊️🕊️♥️

Requiescat in pace. My condolences to his family.

Please accept my deepest sympathy on the death of Tom.
May he rest in peace