ABOUT JAKE LYONS 

      Loving son, brother, husband, father and great friend - Jake Lyons was definitely one of a kind.  Jake's love of his family and friends, and his passion for his work and golf game were evident in everything he did.    In the short time Jake was with us, he gave all that he had for the people and things that he loved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

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     Jake was a member of the Woodward Academy Class of 2001.  After graduating from Woodward, Jake attended The University of Mississippi on an academic scholarship.  Upon leaving Ole Miss, Jake returned to Atlanta where he became GMC Truck Sales Manager / Finance Manager with Carl Black GMC in Kennesaw; in 2007, Jake went to work for Caterpillar where he was responsible for the sale and rental of Caterpillar compact construction equipment in North East Georgia; in 2008, Jake transitioned to medical equipment sales working for Select Surgical Technologies as an Independent Account Manager for the North Georgia Territory and then Olympus where he was a Territory Manager and earned Top Ten sales honors in FY 2012-13.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

      September 20th, 2010, the beginning of the worst week in the life of our family – our 27-year-old son went in for a non-routine colonoscopy.  Non-routine because of his age but needed because of persistent symptoms.  After additional scans, a liver biopsy, and port placement (all in the span of four very long days) Jake began the grueling process of trying to beat his Stage IV metastatic Colon Cancer diagnosis.  His fight involved a variety of chemotherapy regimens, changing protocol as each successive treatment worked and then eventually failed.  Through all of this, Jake continued to work –often traveling 200+ miles a day for his job with Olympus.  Jake coached his son Aiden's t-ball and soccer teams until he simply could no longer stand up on the field because of the pain associated with his disease.  During each of his chemo sessions he did everything he could to lift up and encourage others battling alongside him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

    As a family, we have always been involved in working with and contributing to philanthropic organizations such as the Athens Area Cancer Auxiliary, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, etc.  When Jake was first diagnosed we decided that we not only needed to help him but we also needed to help others battling cancer.  In 2011, we held the First Annual Jake Lyons ‘Cancer Sucks’ Golf Classic and in conjunction with donations from friends and family raised in excess of $20,000 for ‘Relay for Life’.  In 2012, we focused our attention on Colon Cancer, raising money and fielding a team of almost 50 runners and walkers at the Colon Cancer Alliance’s Undy 5000 events in Washington D.C. and Marietta.  Since 2014, after Jake lost his battle, his friends and family - determined to continue Jake’s involvement in furthering the push for a cure for Colon Cancer - have raised in excess of $132,000, at the Annual Jake Lyons Memorial ‘Cancer Sucks’ Golf Classic.  We plan to continue our involvement because, if he were still with us, that is what Jake would be doing – working to help others who need help and encouragement, someone to talk to, a place to go to learn more about their options.  That is what the Colon Cancer Alliance meant to him and why we continue our work.