Funeral services for Lyle J. Bird will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 10, 2016 at Cross Of Glory Lutheran Church. Rev. Mark Hillmer will officiate. Interment will be at the Hartland Cemetery. Military honors will be accorded by local servicemen’s organizations, VFW and American Legion. Visitation will be from 5 to p.m. Friday, December 9th at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com
Lyle died Sunday, December 04, 2016 at Thorne Crest Retirement Center.
Lyle Jasper Bird was born on February 25, 1929 in Winnebago County, Iowa, to Omer and Inga (Hagen) Bird. He graduated from Freeborn High School. He was inducted into the Armed Forces December 6, 1950 serving on the 131st Trans Truck Co. Lyle received a Korean service medal with bronze campaign star and United Nations service medal meritorious. He was discharged December 4, 1952 and was transferred to USAR on December 5, 1952 for 5 years. Lyle was a member of the Freeborn Legion Post 552 and the Freeborn Fire Department.
On October 30, 1954, Lyle was united in marriage to Darlene M. Leidal at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. He had lived in Hartland, Bath and Freeborn. Lyle owned the Bath County Store and helped his father run the Hartland Redwing Shoe Store. He had been a butcher at Wilson & Co. in Albert Lea, retiring in 1990 after 33 years with them. He began working for the Winona Monument Co. in 1959 which was purchased by Monumental Sales Co and has continued with them as a sales rep. since. Lyle was an usher and trustee at Cross of Glory and sexton at the Hartland Cemetery for many years.
He is survived by his son Robert (Sharon) Bird of Hartland; daughters Julie (William) Gauthier of Minneapolis, Terry (Donald) Jacobs of Worthing, SD, Cynthia (Paul) Hinkley of Freeborn and Brenda Bird of Minneapolis; sister Rosella Peek of WI; grandchildren Brett (Heidi) Mathiason, Mark Gauthier, Chad, Travis and Tessa Jacobs, Nicole Bird, Natalie (James) Schultz, Matthew (Tanya) Bird, Amy (Bryan) Schroeder, Kelly and Levi Hinkley; great-grandchildren Max and Kane Mathiason, Anita Jacobs, Jordan and Jacob Schultz, Gavin, Olivia, Elyse, Harper and Sawyer Bird, Hailee Halverson, Ongelle, Gabriel, Josey and Eva Schroeder; and good friend Russ Engel.
Lyle was preceded in death by his parents; wife Darlene; infant sister Dorothy, Sisters Bernice (Jerry) McArdle and Frances (Berdine) Larson; sisters-in-law Betty (Bruce) Reed, Ellen Mae (Charles) Boyer, LaVonne (Lester) Leidel, Gladys (Ralph) Sigurdson and Mary Helen (Harry)Peterson and brother-in-law Wallace Peek.
In Lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the Hartland Cemetery, Freeborn Legion, Hospice of Mayo Clinic Health System Albert Lea or the Freeborn Fire Department.