Stan & Brenda Lyons: Serving with Heart

A Life Rooted in Family and Service

The plains and rolling hills of “The Sooner State” were calling native Oklahomans Brenda and Stan Lyons. After Stan completed five years as a missile launch officer for the U.S. Army in Cheyenne, Wyoming, during the Vietnam War, he Lyons relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado. They were certain their forever home would be right there, nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Then, after a spring trip back to Oklahoma City, a new plan for their lives together unfolded. “We were back in Oklahoma for Easter one year, came around the corner and saw a nice, beautiful blooming tree in a green field,” Stan says. “We said, ‘let’s get back to four seasons.’”

Being close to family also inspired the Lyons to return to their roots. “Our parents and both sets of grandparents lived here,” Brenda says. “We needed to be back with family.” Since returning to Oklahoma, the Lyons have grown a “small, vibrant family,” including two children and five grandchildren, entered retirement in 2011, and become deeply involved in their local church, St. Luke’s Methodist Church, where they’ve been members for twenty five years and where their grandchildren were baptized.

Before 2020, the Lyons divided their time between the church community and visiting their grandchildren in St. Louis and Arkansas, including a grandson who participated in collegiate track and field, and their granddaughter, a senior in high school, who was actively involved on campus. Then, COVID-19 happened, and life came to a halt. “All of a sudden, we didn’t have anything to do,” Brenda remembers.

Finding Purpose During Uncertain Times

The Lyons, who are no strangers to service — between their church involvement, Brenda’s former career as a schoolteacher, Stan’s military service, and his first post-military job in the business office of a nursing home — wanted a way to stay active and give back at the same time to homebound seniors they knew would be particularly isolated and lonely with the world shutdown. St. Luke’s is among the 60 churches and partner organizations that collaborate with Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City to deliver meals, and the Lyons’ daughter volunteered during her summer breaks from teaching. It was an easy decision.

“During COVID, we couldn’t be with other people,” Brenda says. “[Meals on Wheels] gave us an opportunity to meet new people, get out of the house and do something.”

Brenda, who is still known as “The Cookie Lady,” began cooking desserts for Meals on Wheels recipients, and five years later, the Lyons remain involved as weekly drivers. Together, they navigate a 25-mile route, serving 28 recipients; Brenda drops off meals at the door, and Stan, who drove a delivery truck during his college days in Oklahoma City, is behind the wheel. Volunteering serves as a constant reminder of the role the Lyons can play, together, in meeting the needs of those less fortunate in their community.

“We have been very fortunate in our lives, so we’ve never been in want of anything,” Brenda says. “We’re not rich, but we are certainly leading a rich life with what we have. And when you deliver to Meals on Wheels, you understand that you are providing something people need: food. It’s touched our hearts that we can help people, and it’s easy to do so. All we have to do is get in our car and drive around and meet people for half a day, once a week.”

The Joy of Serving Together

The bonds the Lyons form with recipients keep them coming back, as with the bed-ridden two-tour Vietnam veteran Stan recalls sitting with — and the many furry friends that greet them at the door.

“When [seniors] see me coming, they tell me how much they appreciate it,” Brenda says. “It’s such a simple thing that we do, and they are so gracious. That makes you feel really good.”

Their volunteer experience demonstrates that there is power in a simple knock on the door. It is a chance to build lasting bonds with the seniors that endure beyond providing a warm, nutritious meal. “They become your friends,” Brenda says. “Sometimes they’re upset, need to talk or just want to hug.” And while there are many hard days as volunteers, particularly the days when they have to say goodbye to seniors who pass or are removed from their route, the happiness they experience while bringing joy, comfort, and connection to others is immeasurable. “I dare you to deliver Meals on Wheels and not have a good time,” Stan says.