SCARBOROUGH — Charles Michael Lyons, 68, died Aug. 22. He was born April 6, 1944, in Manchester, N.H., the son of Philip R. Lyons and Jane Burke Lyons. He lived in New Hampshire until his family moved to Madison in 1955.  

He was a 1962 graduate of Madison High School and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. There he was a member of the varsity football team that lost only two games in four years.

He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Hartford and a doctoral degree from Boston University. He served on the faculty of the University of Southern Maine from 1973 to 1996. In 1996, he was appointed president of the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He served at Fort Kent until 2001, and then for five years as president of the University of Maine at Augusta. He was awarded the title of professor emeritus of the University of Southern Maine in 2006.

In 2006, he became the president of York County Community College, and served in this role until his death. He loved his time at YCCC and was particularly proud of his team and the growth they oversaw, as enrollment more than doubled between 2006 and 2011.

He was married for 45 years to Barbara Davis Lyons, a teacher in Sanford for more than 20 years. He devoted his life to his five children and their academic and athletic pursuits.  

Lyons was predeceased by his parents.  

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his three daughters, Meghan Lyons, of South Portland, Hanna Lyons and Sadie Lyons, both of Scarborough; son Kevin Lyons, of Brooklyn, N.Y.;. son Mike Lyons and his wife, Ramsey, of Pittsburgh; sister Bette Brook and her husband, Ronald, of Scarborough; sister Kathy Gryglas and her husband, Ronald, of Scarborough; three grandchildren, True Lyons, Lulu Lyons and Davis Mercer Lyons; and his aunt, Jane Renaud.

Services were private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lyons’ memory to: Hillman Cancer Center, Stanley Marks Research and Development Fund, UPMC Cancer Pavilion, 1B, 5150 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232.