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In presenting the case of the Lyon widows of the First World War, this article shows that these women do not all respond to the homogenizing stereotype of the woman in mourning, faithful to the deceased spouse and eking out a meager living from his pension. This article points out on one hand the social-economic diversity of these widows’ origins and situations. On the other hand, it shows that far from being helpless and dependent, the Lyon war widows demonstrated a reactivity and dynamism toward their new situation that historiography barely paid attention to. Moving, remarriage, sale or taking over of a business; nothing stopped these still-young women, often mothers of one or several children and having already had a professional activity. In any case, beyond the variety of situations, reactions and motivations, one phenomenon distinguishes the experiences of these war widows socio-economically: their decisions and initiatives were determined by a time of conflict.