Rob Lyon: A life of heroics and humor

Robert Godfrey Lyon Jr., co-founder of the Valley-based therapy animal sanctuary Lyon Ranch, a decorated pilot and a recipient of one of the highest Naval awards for heroism, died peacefully after a long battle with cancer, surrounded by family, on Feb. 22. He was 83.

Lyon walked the line between humor and heroics throughout his years, making sure to never take life too seriously yet never forgetting how precious it is.

Born Dec. 8, 1939 in Orange County, Lyon was the youngest of twins. And from an early age, he set his sights on the skies, eventually enlisting in the Vietnam War to become a combat pilot.

In the Clouds

He flew in the Vought F-8 Crusader, a single-engine, supersonic jet with top speeds of 1,227 mph, and the F-4 Phantom II, a supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber developed for the Navy.

During his service, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight, among “a little over 20” other military honors he earned, according to a 2014 Sonoma Index-Tribune article.

“He didn't like to talk about it,” his wife, Robin, said. “It was is a bad time … I'm thinking he didn't talk about it because innocent people were slain. So he didn't talk about that kind of thing at all.”

Lyon’s fearless actions would later earn him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest noncombat award for heroism by the U.S. Navy. On Oct. 30, 1963, in Pensacola, Florida, Lyon and a friend had almost finished a round of golf, when, on the 18th hole, a single-engine T-28 trainer flew haphazard over the fairway toward the first tee.

The plane lost its landing gear and both wings in the crash. A crowd gathered as flames began to engulf the cabin of the plane. Lyon saw the pilot was unconscious in the cockpit, and he ran toward the fiery plane.

Lyon pulled the pilot out, but not without singeing off the hair on his arms and eyebrows. “Lyon got a commendation letter from his commanding officer, acknowledging his courageous action ‘with utter disregard for your own safety,’” the I-T reported.

Lyon remained fixated on flying after he left the Navy, and he soon became a commercial pilot out of Los Angeles for Western Airlines where he would eventually meet his second wife, Robin Wolfe, in March 1983.

“We had both been married before and were hurt. But you know what? That was all right. Because good things happened,” Robin said. “He made me laugh. And that was the first thing I noticed about him.”

Robin grew up in Napa, but was working as a flight attendant for Western Airlines based in Salt Lake City. But not before she picked up a pristine few acres of untouched land in Sonoma Valley’s Diamond A neighborhood.

The two could not come from more divergent backgrounds. “I was a farm girl. He was actually a city slicker,” Robin said.

Rob would jokingly tell her, “’You know, I'm gonna marry you because you've got 12 acres in Sonoma County.’ But less than a year later, we did get married.”

Sonoma Story

They moved to Sonoma in 1984 to build a home on those 12 acres, which in due course would become Lyon Ranch.

Rob had two children from his first marriage, but he and Robin hoped to have more, leading them to adopted a son, William. But shortly after the adoption, Robin found out she was pregnant with their daughter, Lynette.

Rob was an easy going father, Lynette said, and he brought a trickster mindset to parenting.

“We used to find (dead) rattlesnakes that were hit by cars, and we put them into striking position and put them in the freezer so they'd freeze solid, and then we’d leave them around the property for my mom to find,” Lynette said.

In 2000, the Lyon family grew again — this time with a furrier adoptee in the form of a camel named Kazzy. Helping the elderly and sick find small moments of joy in meeting these specially trained therapy animals was Robin’s longtime dream. Rob was not immediately keen to the idea, until he saw how people light up when a camel walks into a hospital.

“Then he realized he was making a difference. And so he not only gravitated to it, he wanted to do it,” Robin said. “He saw what a difference it made.”

Lyon Ranch Therapy Animals has now been a Sonoma nonprofit for nearly 25 years, helping people connect with gentle, specially trained animals like camels and birds, many of which are rescued by the Lyon family.

Rob Lyon is survived by his wife, Robin; two brothers, Bruce and Dean; his four children, Tracy, Banning, William and Lynette; and four grandchildren, Kenny, Cammie, Daisy and Lark.

At this time, no funeral services have been planned. Those who wish to support the family can donate to Lyon Ranch at lyonranch.org/donate.

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.