Emmalou Lyle's Obituary
Emmalou Burbank Lyle passed peacefully January 21, 2016. She was the daughter of Dr. Jesse Burbank of Missouri and Mary Hornbeek of Illinois; wife of Dr. Ray Lyle; mother to Lisa Weeks (David), M. Elaine Jackman (Link), Janet Veesart (Mike) and Betty Lyle; and grandmother to Bethany Weeks, Jonathan Weeks and Molly Veesart. She enjoyed quilting, investigating Lakewood history and native plant restoration.
Emmalou was born at home in Manchester, Illinois on April 20, 1931 and was the only child of Jesse and Mary Burbank. She grew up in central Illinois on a small family farm in Scott County, dressing up her pet chicken Clara Cluck and riding into town in a wagon drawn by Bob the horse. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. While there, she met her future husband Ray Lyle in a fencing class; they were married June 1954.
After Ray finished medical school, the couple moved to Oregon for his residency training while Emmalou taught 2nd grade. Ray was commissioned into the Navy and they were stationed in California for a year where Lisa was born, after which they moved back to Kansas City Missouri to be closer to family. Elaine, Janet and Betty were all born over the next five years before the family packed up and drove across country to the Pacific Northwest and Lakewood. After a year in a rental house behind what was then the Villa Plaza, they moved to the house where the girls grew up and Emmalou lived for the next 50+ years.
Emmalou was very involved in all of the girls' activities and was active as a Girl Scout troop leader for nine years. She came into her own in the thirty years since Ray died in 1986, first pursuing quilting as her main hobby. She belonged to the Sew N Sews who met monthly and attended Quilter’s Dream twice a year. Every year she went to the Puyallup Fair and the NW Quilters Expo to look at all the amazing quilts. She leaves us with a legacy of over 30 quilts that will remind us of her creativity and imagination whenever we look at them.
Emmalou had two other passions, local flora and Washington State history. She was introduced to both by a key happenstance in her life. In 2000, after Molly was born, Emmalou came back from Texas with a new responsibility and a new activity in her life; a dog. Sandy was a golden lab-type that son-in-law Mike found cowering after the New Year holiday. When the dog wasn't claimed after a few days, Emmalou brought her home to Washington. The pair began daily walks around Waughop Lake in Fort Steilacoom Park. That activity sparked Emmalou’s desire to see the park prairie land restored with native plants. She became an active member of the Native Plant Society, pulling scotch broom and introducing members to the park’s native flora. At the same time she became very interested in documenting the British role in our local history. She joined both the Lakewood and Ft. Steilacoom Historical Societies; donating her time to support and promote their activities.
She pursued all three interests vigorously until her health began to fail last June.
She raised her four daughters to be independent and capable adults, and was very proud of the directions they followed.
She will be remembered as a resilient woman, making the best of whatever situation she found herself in. She will be missed.
A memorial service for Emmalou will be held 2:15 to 4:00 pm Sunday, February 14, 2016 in the Oak Room of the Celebration of Life Center at Mountain View Funeral Home & Crematory, 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA 98499.
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