Columbia School honours one of their own

For her 32 year career, Irene Lyons was a fixture of Columbia School, often followed by a crowd of children as she worked in the library, the canteen or fulfilling other roles within the school. Now, she will always be within the school, as the library at Columbia was dedicated in her honour.

Raelynn Dutcheshen and Heather Giroux were members of the memorial committee and worked with Lyons. Describing her as a kind of surrogate grandmother, Dutcheshen says she was an important part of the lives of Columbia students because she was someone they knew they could trust and who they felt comfortable talking to, describing her as a “hero.”

“Mrs. Lyons stood for so much in this building. She was just the face that all the kids knew and loved and she was important in so many ways,” said Dutcheshen.

“She was very accepting of all students. Everyone felt comfortable with her. She was here when my kids went to school in this building, and they remember her and have such happy memories of her,” Giroux added.

Lyons had not been retired for long before she died, and they wanted to show that they appreciated the work she did for the school in her time there. While she was an important part of the entire school, they decided that the library was the best place.

“She worked in this building with such dedication for so many years, that we thought the library would be the best place to honour her memory,” Dutcheshen said.

The plaque was unveiled by Tamara Schneider, her daugher, and Trevor Lyons, her son. 

“She always loved being here, she had a really hard time retiring, she loved all the kids, all the teachers, this was her second family,” said Lyons.

While the speeches at the event emphasized how the children loved his mother, Lyons experienced it first hand, as kids would run up to her when they were outside of the school as well, such as in the mall.

Most of all, Lyons is proud of the impact his mother made.

“I’m overcome, I never would have expected it, but it’s a great honour, she would have loved this.”