Lyle W. Kiel

In today's society, material possessions tend to be a benchmark to measure a man's success. Too many times the simpler qualities, such as faith, dedication to family, and hard work are easily overlooked when judging a man's character. Lyle Kiel was not someone consumed by materials gains in life but by the satisfaction of putting his family first and doing the best job he could with whatever task was at hand. For most people, 1912 will be remembered for the sinking of the Titanic, and just a year before, the Indianapolis 500 made its debut, becoming the fastest, richest race in the world. However, for William and Carrie (Vandyke) Kiel, living in Rothbury, Michigan, neither of these events was as important as the birth of their son, Lyle, on December 22, 1912. The youngest of three children, Lyle grew up on their family farm in the company of his brother, Harold, and sister, Hazel. His father worked hard as a farmer to provide for the family while his mother was a traditional homemaker. Like many young boys of the time, Lyle attended their village's one room schoolhouse until the eighth grade and then joined his father working full-time on the farm. This hard work gave Lyle a pretty solid, muscular physique and he put that to use as an Amateur boxer. When it came to having fun, Lyle liked to go dancing with some of his friends in town. To supplement their family income, the Kiel family took in boarders to live in their home. One of which was a lovely young school teacher named Violet Schoch. She and Lyle were smitten with each other from their first encounter, and it wasn't long before romance blossomed. After a traditional courtship, the sweethearts were happily married on May 17, 1935, in Muskegon, Michigan. In order to find good paying jobs, the newlyweds moved to Muskegon, and settled into an upstairs apartment on Pine Street. They both soon found work - Lyle at the Campbell, Wyant and Cannon foundry, and Violet at Anaconda Wire Co. When not working, the couple enjoyed playing cards or going square dancing. Lyle was an extraordinarily skilled handyman and could fix or built just about anything. He soon began working on a home for their future family by dismantling Violet's childhood house and rebuilding it brick by brick on Mona Lake in Muskegon. It was here the couple welcomed the birth of their first two children: daughters, Darlene in 1937, and Marilyn, 11 months later. Then in 1940, the family of four moved to Muskegon Heights, after Lyle secured a new job at the American Coil Spring Co. nearby. He was a loyal, hard-working Foreman here for 42 years before retiring in 1979. The family made yet another move back to Muskegon to a home at 1762 Wood Street. It was here that Lyle and Violet welcomed the birth of their son, Louie, in 1953, who completed the Kiel family. During this time, Violet had attended classes at Western Michigan University and went on to earn her teaching degree. Throughout life's busyness it was important for the Kiel family to spend together. The family visited Lyle's parents on Sundays. He also bought a travel trailer with which the family hit the road on many unforgettable trips, visiting every state in the U.S. After his daughters were gone out of the house, Lyle spent lots of quality time with his son, Louie. They loved to ride motorcycles together or spend the day fishing somewhere. But the day came, too, when Louie left his parents' home in 1971. The family were long time members of the Central United Methodist Church in Muskegon. They later became members of the Twin Lake United Methodist Church after moving into their lake home at 2378 Duff Road in Twin Lake, Michigan. Lyle built himself a 14 ft. Chris Craft boat which he put to good use living by the lake. When it came to his leisure time, Lyle had many hobbies to keep him busy. An avid fisherman, he loved being outdoors and on the water somewhere waiting for a bite. He greatly enjoyed working in his big garden down by the lake and building, repairing and tinkering with tractors in his garage. In 1988 his wife, Violet, became ill and Lyle tenderly cared for her every need until her passing in 2003. Two months after the loss of Violet his own health took a bad turn when he suffered a stroke. Throughout 2004 Lyle's health declined and he found it necessary to live away from his own home in Twin Lake. He shared time between his daughter, Darlene's home in Grand Haven and his son, Louie's home in Muskegon. He enjoyed lots of traveling with his son, Louie, and his wife, Earlaine. He spent week days in Grand Haven patiently doing many a board puzzle, enjoying 'winning' at the card game Skip Bo, and relishing watching his great grand children play at his feet. All the while Lyle carried an endearing smile and a ready hug. He was often found with Jeremy, the house cat, contentedly curled up in his lap. Summer days found Lyle soaking in the fresh air at Jack and Darlene's cottage in Twin Lake. It was during these days that many a story has been told, and if you listen carefully you may hear, a comical storyline being retold, of Lyle, grinning ear to ear, while in charge of the steering wheel of a white golf cart, with a passenger, white knuckled, all a fright. In December of this past year Lyle's health declined making it essential for additional care. He moved to his son, Louie's house in Muskegon full time. He lived here until his death on Friday, February 1, 2008, at the age of 95. Lyle was a man with a strong presence with broad shoulders and solid stature, but his warm smile and twinkling hazel eyes always gave away his tender heart. His years of hard work and dedication provided him with a full and happy life. A life his family and friends will never forget. Lyle W. Kiel, age 95, of Twin Lake, MI, died on Friday, February 1, 2008. He is survived by his son, Louie (Earlaine) Kiel of Muskegon; 2 daughters; Darlene (Jack) Boyer of Grand Haven, Marilyn (James) Shingleton of Trenton, MI; 11 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren; sister, Hazel Bouwman of New York and several nieces & nephews. Lyle was preceded in death by his wife, Violet, after 68 years of marriage, and his brother, Harold Kiel. Services for Lyle will be held on Saturday, February 9, at 11:00 a.m. Rev. Lewis Glick will be officiating the service at the Clock Chapel of Clock Life Story Funeral Home in Muskegon. Visitations will be held on Friday, February 9, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the Clock funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lakeside Lighthouse Chapel; 3320 Thompson Road, Muskegon, Michigan 49441.. Please visit Lyle's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory with his family or sign the online guest book.