Corrie Catherine Lyons, affectionately known as "Cat" or "Tootsie," was born on March 19,1934 in Mt. Carmel, South Carolina to parents George Thomas Tennant and Kitty Moragne. She was the eldest of two children. Catherine attended and graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1953. Shortly after graduating high school, she migrated to Evanston, Illinois where she attended nursing school and became a nurse. She met Mr. Eugene Leonard Lyons Sr. while caring for him as a polio patient and they were later united in holy matrimony. Together with their five children, they lived a happy and meaningful life.

While Catherine's life led her to the Midwest in search of a better future, she was a southern belle at heart and often returned to South Carolina to visit her aunt Viola and uncle Metz (Helen). She enjoyed cooking, gardening, and spending time with the many children who came into her life but most importantly, she loved God. Her compassion for others continued to shine bright as she worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse until she fell ill, after which she devoted her time to her family. Throughout the years, she battled multiple illnesses, all of which she gathered the strength to overcome. She later went on to pour that same strength, love and compassion into her children and later her grandchildren, some of which she helped to raise. No matter how she was feeling, she was never too ill to go to the nail shop to get a bright color painted on her long nails.

Anyone who knew of Catherine and the Lyons family knew that her door was always open. Many of her children's friends referred to her as "Mother Dear." Family was very important to Catherine and she always made sure she shared photos and stories of her lineage with her loved ones. Many of these stories will be shared for generations to come.

Catherine is preceded in death by her husband, Eugene Leonard Lyons Sr., their daughter Florence Elizabeth (Bambi) Lyons, and their son Wendell Leon Lyons. She leaves to cherish her memory, her sons Eugene Leonard Lyons Jr. (Rhonda), Anthony Wilbur Lyons (Terri), Gregory Neil Lyons (Lynn); and a host of other loved ones and friends. Catherine will truly be missed but her memory will live on through her legacy.