Oshkosh, WI - Jeremy James Lyons, 34, former Ishpeming, MI resident gave everyone food for reflection before passing away suddenly on March 19, 2021 in Oshkosh, WI.

Jeremy started a garden nearly every year of his adult life and gifted most of the produce to others. A favorite story involved turning a gravel parking lot into community garden beds.    He also enjoyed picking wild blueberries with family, even to the point of camping in the patch. These marks of simple life were balanced by a college degree in Philosophy and a keen interest in the life of the mind, ranging from books to in depth podcasts. He followed ideas as far as they went, but never allowed his outstanding intelligence to discriminate in friendship. He loved to cook wild berry jams with grandma and road trips with grandpa.  Had he wished to teach, his few belongings and residences in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Seattle together with travels to Germany, Florida and other places may have made him like the traveling Greek philosopher Socrates, but Jeremy valued community, friendship and a good cup of coffee over correcting educational deficits in others. But when he did urge a course of action he did so out of feelings for kindness and mercy, like when he went door to door to advocate for health care for all.

At an early age, Jeremy's spirit was recognized in his selection as ring bearer for his Aunt Julie's wedding. That spirit of bearing gifts continued throughout his life as Jeremy was known for never harming others, always being there for friends, giving great deals even when he probably could have used more money himself. The only times he was known to reproach someone it was for anger.  By his own examples, Jeremy continued through his life to be a ring bearer for gardening, sharing, kindness and goodness. His musical loves included everything from death metal to Michael Franti. Jeremy was a member of the National Honor Society and graduate of the Ishpeming High School, Class of 2003.  He furthered his education at MTU and received his degree in Philosophy from NMU.

Every philosopher recognizes there is always a counter argument. In this vein, Jeremy struggled periodically with significant substance use disorders driven by sometimes disabling anxiety starting at an early age, when he wrote a copyrighted poem about depression.  The counterargument here is the ability of disease and addiction to rob people of a more distinguished or accomplished life. While anxiety and addiction certainly impacted both his life and death, it would seem that when a philosophy major and brilliant mind over many years goes out of his way to daily weed and water gardens seemingly just to watch things grow and give away the produce, we ought to consider the probability that he also enjoyed watching people grow when they received gifts of food for reflection. In Jeremy's school of philosophy, all are equal and there are no grades, no exams, no judgments of others, rewards are available to all and the only reproaches are for anger and not walking kindly with others.  His life is an Argument with a capital A about what is important, a statement that shone through despite challenges. Such an Argument is an achievement for anyone, taking a lifetime to develop.

Jeremy is survived by his mother Jennie and her husband Ron in Ishpeming, and his father Patrick and his wife Tracy in Oshkosh, along with his brothers Brandon, Jesse (Shianne) and Benjamin and sister Morgan, grandparents Richard and Joyce Lehto of Ishpeming and a many aunts, uncles and cousins around the country.  Jeremy was preceded in death by his grandparents Charles Sr. and Kay Lyons.

The family will greet relatives and friends from 12:00pm – 2:00pm on Saturday March 27, 2021 at the Bjork & Zhulkie Funeral Home, 400 N. Third St., Ishpeming, MI.  Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, those wishing to attend are required to wear a mask and adhere to social distancing and proceed the funeral home so that no more than 25 people are inside at any one time.  A private family funeral ceremony will follow at 2:00pm with the Rev. D. Michael Carriere to officiate.  Interment will take place at the Ishpeming Cemetery.

Those wishing to remember Jeremy and build upon the foundations he worked on can do so by planting a garden, sharing, walking kindly with others, or doing whatever else their local circumstances inspire them to do.  Some family suggestions would be to donate to the Gideons at gideons.org or the Ishpeming Community Gardens – Partridge Creek Farms, P.O. Box 4, Ishpeming, MI 49849 or partridgecreekfarm.org

A live stream of Jeremy's service will be hosted on the Bjork & Zhulkie facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bjorkandzhulkie/

A audio recording of Jeremy's service may be listened to here.