Dorothy Mathews Lyon, 87, Vero Beach
Dorothy Mathews Lyon, librarian, archivist, and world traveler, died on Feb. 5, 2018, in Vero Beach. She was 87 years old.
Dot was beloved by her husband and family. Her four children are grateful to have had a mother who was strong, willing to take risks, and always ready for the next adventure.
Dot was a seventh generation Floridian, born in Winter Haven and raised in central Florida. Dot’s mother, Vinelle Davidson Mathews, was a teacher and her father, E. Lee Mathews, worked as a principal until his success in citrus production and orange grove ownership.
She attended Apopka High School and Florida State University and received her bachelor’s degree in library science in 1952.
Dot married Eugene (“Gene”) Lyon in 1952; they met when she accompanied her brother to a fraternity dance at the University of Florida. Dot’s 65-year marriage with Gene survived not only four children, but also the classic Gator/Seminole schism that defines Florida collegiate sports.
Dot built a career as a library administrator and as both a school and historical librarian. Not one to shy away from unusual paths in life, Dot spent two years in the Belgian Congo, caring for two young children and giving birth to a third child amidst deteriorating political conditions.
Dot later spent several years as school librarian at St. Edwards School in Vero Beach, and, while living in Spain, served a stint as librarian at Columbus International College in Seville. In 1983 she served as a Judge for the Florida Historical Society Charlton W. Tebeau Junior Book Award. When she and Gene lived in St. Augustine between 1984 and 1997, she worked in the library of the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. In retirement Dot volunteered at the Beachland Elementary School library.
Dot was a passionate supporter of Florida history and preservation, working and traveling with Gene, often with family in tow. She took her archival expertise from Florida to private archives around the world, including Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Spain, working alongside Gene to preserve and share fragile records relating to Spanish colonial Florida and the life of Christopher Columbus.
Dot Lyon loved to travel and lived in many far-flung places, but from the moment she and Gene moved to Vero Beach in 1958, Vero was their touchstone and their heart’s home. In 1973, they built a home on Pelican Lane. From their retirement in 1997 until their move to the Brennity in 2017, Dot found great joy in being back on Pelican Lane, growing fruit trees, watching her beloved Seminoles with Gene, and travels that included a cross-country trip and several trips to Cuba. Dot also found great solace in living next door to her eldest daughter Peggy and her husband, John, who played an important and crucially supportive role to Dot in the last years of her life.
Central to Dot’s life were her Christian faith and Christ by the Sea Methodist Church. She and Gene were founding members of the church and supported its growth and development. Dot was also an active member of United Methodist Women and the Association of American University Women.
Dot is survived by her devoted husband, Gene; children, Margaret Sue (“Peggy”), Kenneth Eugene, Katharine Vinelle, and Mary Beth; brother-in-law, Homer Lyon, Jr.; sister-in-law Jean Mathews; niece, Anita Mathews; nephew, Douglas Mathews and his wife, Shelley Barham Mathews; sons-in-law, John McCoy, Jay Reeve, and Greg Carlson; daughter-in-law, Susan Gladstone; and six grandsons, Sam, Matt, Harper, Nathaniel, Soren, and Dax.
She was predeceased by her mother; her father; her brother, William Lee Mathews; and her oldest grandson, Keenan.
The memorial service will take place on Friday, February 9, at 11:00 AM, at Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations in Dot’s name to the Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church, designated to the United Methodist Women, at 3755 Hwy A1A, Vero Beach, Florida 32963.
Julia Marie Titus, 73, Sebastian
Julia Marie Titus, 73, of Sebastian, passed away Jan. 31, 2018. She was born into the world by midwife Aunt Estelle Price Jackson on June 17, 1944, in Melbourne, Fla., to her parents Eddie Lee and Johnnie Mae Price.
When Julia was 6 months old the family moved to the Bronx, N.Y.
In 1955, Coram, Long Island, would become home for the family as they moved into their newly built home.
In 1984, Julia married Winston Titus and they resided in their home for many years. During this time, she worked at SUNY Stonybrook University and The Office of The Aging as a social worker and was recognized for exemplary service. She Retired in 1997.
1999, Julia moved to Melbourne, Fla., and in 2000 built her dream home in Sebastian.
Julia showed her love through cooking and entertaining. Her ministry was feeding and loving those in and around her area.
Julia took pride in her community, here in Sebastian and in New York. She campaigned for Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, President Barak Obama as well as local elections.
Julia’s love for God, her family and friends made her the special person she was.
Always giving. Always loving. We will miss you.
Julia is survived by her loving husband, Winston; brother, Roosevelt Price, of Sparta, Ga.; sister, Sandra J. Hunter, of Sebastian; and niece, Lisa Price, of Bradenton, Fla.
Julia was preceded in death by her parents, Eddie Lee and Johnnie Mae Price; brother, Donnie Lee Price; and sisters, Essie Mae Johnson, Helen Louise Rivers and Barbara Ann Reid.
To honor Julia’s memory, do a random act of kindness, showering God’s love from above.
Visitation will be held 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at Strunk Funeral Home, 1623 North Central Ave., Sebastian, followed by a Celebration of Life from 2-3 p.m. in the Funeral Home Chapel.
“The Song is Ended, but The Melody Lingers On”