William Lyon, Orange County homebuilder and civic leader, dies at 97

William Lyon made his fortune following the freeways. Wherever the roads ran, that’s where the Air Force general-turned-homebuilder would mobilize construction crews, eventually building much of Orange County with projects across the Southwestern U.S.
Lyon, one of Orange County’s wealthiest and most influential residents, died Friday, May 22, at his hilltop estate in Coto de Caza, his son, Bill H. Lyon, said. He was 97.
The General, as he was known because of his stint as an Air Forc