Merlin Keith Lyon, 81, of Ames, Iowa, passed away on October 5, 2022, at Israel Family Hospice Center. A public visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Palestine Church (1375 IA-210, Huxley, IA 50124) on November 19, 2022, with a memorial service following at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be held at the Cambridge Cemetery following a luncheon that will start at 12:00p.m.

Merlin was born November 18, 1940, in Cambridge, Iowa to Keith and Laura (Labertew) Lyon. He grew up in the house he was born in with his brother Ronald and sister Barbara. He attended Shipley School from the first grade to high school graduation in 1958. After graduation he trained as a medic in the Iowa National Guard.

Merlin worked as an excavator with the family business, Lyon Brothers for a time until he became one of the first employees at National Animal Disease Center in Ames until he left in 1977. One of his other professions was a farrier. He attended the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School summer 1976 and came back with the knowledge to work on horses' hooves and an Oklahoma drawl that took him a few weeks to lose. He was in much demand as a horseshoer until his health issues had him quit. He drove semis for a year filled with grain from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Duluth harbors as well as areas in Montana. He had a lot of interesting stories to share of his travels. He worked at several different areas of employment until he started working at Williams Pipeline Terminal in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He transferred to the Williams Terminal in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Magellan Pipeline later acquired it and he retired from there.

He married Judith Burton in 1964 and had two children with her: Melissa and Timothy. They were divorced in 1974. He remarried on Feb 14, 1977, to Deidre Qual and they had a son Jace A. Lyon.

A musician himself, playing both the guitar and steel guitar, Merlin was a life-long country music fan. He had an appreciation for great musicians and could be moved to tears with just the right harmony, chord, or guitar lick. His other passions were Harley Davidson motorcycles and P-51 Mustangs fighter planes. Merlin was able to check off a big item from his bucket list when he was able to catch a ride in a P-51 Mustang in the fall of 2018.

Merlin was proud of his children and grandchildren. He loved them very much and enjoyed the time he spent with them.

He is survived by his wife, Deidre of Ames, Iowa; three children, Missy (Rod) Miller of Lewisville, Texas, Tim (Jenny) Lyon of Lantana, Texas, Jace (Becca) Lyon of Ames, Iowa; four grandchildren, Tanner Lyon of Arvada, Colorado, Trevor Lyon of Ashburn, Virginia, Gabriel and Evannah Lyon of Ames, Iowa. His bother Ronald (Vicki) Lyon of Cambridge, Iowa, and sister Barbara (Philip) Schendel of Ames, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Keith and Laura (Labertew) Lyon

Memorial donation may be made to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society In Merlin's name.