Does anyone live that long?” Max Lyon asked his daughter when she told him how old he was going to be. Indeed. At 105, he’s likely the oldest man in Skokie. Last week, Lyon’s birthday was celebrated with two days of festivities at the Lieberman Geriatric Health Centre.
The centenarian emigrated from Lithuania with his family just before the start of World War I. He worked a variety of jobs including selling produce at the South Water Street market and running a fruit shop on Chicago Avenue near Pulaski. In the ’60s, he lost his left eye to cancer. He retired in the ’80s and has spent the last few years enjoying the company of friends and relatives, and, until his eyesight kept him from doing so, playing pinochle. Recently he attended his daughter’s 50th wedding anniversary party. Not many parents get that opportunity.