September 17, 2025

By Jim Towey

I first met Teresa Dorothy Kerns Lyons 55 years ago.  

Her son Steve and I had just entered high school and were becoming fast friends, so I spent the night at his Jacksonville Beach home. Her personal circumstances at the time reflected much of the social upheaval that engulfed, if not inflamed, the late 1960’s and early 70’s in America. She was a devout Catholic trying to mother her eight children safely despite the headwinds the sexual revolution, anti-war protests, and drugs and rock and roll mania presented.  

But through it all, she kept the even keel befitting a Navy wife. And her ready laugh was her life raft. George Bernard Shaw said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” 

Philadelphia girl  

Mrs. Lyons was playful then and always was. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, a self-described tomboy who loved to play baseball. She had two brothers and an older sister. One brother participated in the Normandy invasion of World War II, survived its brutality, and returned home a different man. Her other brother was what she called “a sailor boy” who missed a flight connection that would have led to his deployment in the Pacific theater. Instead, he did his military service stateside.  

Mrs. Lyons did her part to support the war effort. She graduated from Little Flower High School for girls and immediately worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard supply office. When the war ended, she married a Navy man and began a journey that would wind its way to Florida by way of Cuba (where she first learned how to drive a car). She has not slowed down since. 

Her favorites 

Recently we had lunch at her favorite Jax Beach diner. While she put strawberry jelly on her toast and salted her two eggs, I peppered her with questions. From Calvin Coollidge, her first president, to our 47th today, who is her favorite? Answer: Ronald Reagan.  

Favorite of the 10 popes of her lifetime, from Pius XI through freshly minted Pope Leo XIV? John Paul the Great.  

Favorite male singer? Perry Como and Bing Crosby. Female? She paused to remember. I thought a prompt might help. “Barbara Streissand?” She immediately replied, “No!”  

Comedian? She thought of Dean Martin.  

What about best motion picture? She answered, “I used to always go to movies back then, but I can’t remember them now.” She conceded she liked the “Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind” and Audrey Hepburn.  

But when it came to the question of where she was when JFK was assassinated, her memory was crystal clear. “I was on the base shopping at the Mayport exchange when I heard the news,” she said.  

One month to go 

Once the topic of our conversation turned to her upcoming birthday on September 24th, she smiled. One of her sons had told her for years that she would live to be 100. And she would always say, “I don’t want to live to be 100.” Now, however, she does. “But I still have a month to go,” she cautioned. 

When she turns 100, she will join the ranks of a growing centenarian population in the U.S.  Seventy-five years ago, there were about 2,000 members in the U.S.  Now the number is over 100,00 and is expected to swell to 400,000.  It will be 400,001 if I reach that age!  

Mrs. Lyons’ strong faith keeps her going. She was parish secretary at St. Paul’s in Jax Beach for 13 years and prays regularly for her children, 13 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. 

Does she fear death? She said no. But she is refreshingly honest about what’s ahead. “I keep thinking about it and wondering what it’s like and I think I can’t wait, and then I think, ‘Oh, I don’t know what’s there!” But she quickly retreats to higher ground. “I do have faith in God, or I wouldn’t be here. I am very thankful.” 

How has she stayed so healthy? Mrs. Lyons wasn’t a drinker or smoker, but she wasn’t an exerciser, either. “I was always active,” she explained.  That doesn’t mean that Father Time has exempted her from life’s aches and pains. “I have old ladies’ problems; my hips and legs are giving way.” But this realization does not rattle her. “I say to God, ‘It’s all in your hands.” Her hands, meanwhile, gripped tightly to her walker when we left.  

Advice on a long life 

As for her advice to people wanting to live a long life, her secret was simple: “Have eight kids. They are so good to me. They keep me going.” 

They also keep her giving. She has been the mainstay of the Lyons family for decades and enjoys a close connection with each and every member of her whole tribe. I proudly number among them as one of her adopted sons.  

Happy birthday, Mrs. Lyons. 

(The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Aging with Dignity and/or its Board of Directors.)