John H. Lyle, Jr.

In 1954, John married Ann Krachy and they raised 3 children, John, Carol, and Robert. They had many adventures and were married for almost 60 years before Ann’s passing.

Afterward, John was blessed with a second chapter in life. At a Rice Alumni reunion, he reconnected with Sherrill Fisk and they married at the age of 83. Sherry was a blessing to John, as he was to Sherry and her family. They were married for 7 ½ wonderful years.

John was a man of impeccable integrity and generosity. He was gracious, a confident leader, always determined to do the right thing, loving, thoughtful, sensitive, and continually concerned with all those around him. Forever curious and adventurous, he did everything with enthusiasm. He was clever and enjoyed a good joke or prank. An extraordinary planner, he was hardworking and dependable. John developed long-lasting friendships wherever he went.

John loved fishing, time in the mountains, classical music, doing jigsaw puzzles, and reading, but especially, spending time with his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and was always eager to share his interests with others.

John was born to John Hyer and Mary Conover Lyle, and was raised in central New Jersey, where he grew up working on both of his grandparents’ farms. He spent hours at Matawan’s Lake Lefferts, swimming, boating, and ice skating. He became an Eagle Scout and developed his love of nature through camping and backpacking, and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. During high school summers, he was a counselor at Camp Ockanickon, where his pranks were legendary.

After graduating with a very small high school class, he took his first big adventure, driving to Texas in his Model “B” Ford to attend Rice University. Feeling like a fish out of water, he entered engineering school having never even heard of calculus. Quickly making friends, he took advantage of his “international student” status, as his parents relocated to London when he left for college (he never let a social opportunity pass him by). His college years were full of activities including playing basketball and several other intramural sports. His ”tower mates” formed their own fraternity (the “Apes”) and were life-long friends. He earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering (1954,1955). At Rice, John met Ann Krachy, and they married before his last year. This was where his adventures really began.

After leaving New Jersey because of the cold, he left Texas because of the heat, taking a job with Chevron in San Francisco, looking for the perfect climate. He continued playing basketball at the “Y” and was a member of the Junior Chamber (Jaycees), a leadership and civic organization.

In 1961, Chevron moved John and family to Tokyo, Japan, to participate in the post-WWII US rebuilding and relationship-building efforts. He studied Japanese and practiced with his driver on the way to work, while teaching his driver English on the trips home. Very few Japanese spoke English at the time, but despite language and cultural differences, he contributed to the design and construction of fertilizer and soap manufacturing facilities. Highlights from Japan included being a guest at a sumo “stable” and climbing Mount Fuji, a ritual goal for all Japanese.

Upon return to the US, the family settled in northern California, which was home base for many years. After a one-year stint in New Jersey where the family enjoyed the grandparents' farm, they moved to India where John worked on a United Nations-sponsored fertilizer plant. Highlights in India included visiting the Taj Mahal and the Himalayas, and a journey into the jungle with son, John H., visiting missionary friends in a remote primitive community. The family traveled extensively on trips within and to and from India, including exploring Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Northern and Southern Europe, and North Africa.

Returning to the US, they spent time in California and New Jersey. In California, John enjoyed his time as a basketball coach and Scout Master and led many backpacking trips in the high Sierras with his scouts, the Girl Scouts, and his family. Despite traveling extensively for work, he always made his children’s activities a priority, including a week-long high school oceanography trip to Baja, Mexico.

After the children left the nest, John worked on projects in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Texas, and Khartoum, Sudan. His final and crowning Chevron project was building a pipeline across the mountainous jungles of Papua New Guinea along with a terminal on the coast. His project was featured in the book, Collapse (Chapter 15), by Jared Diamond, as a model example of a culturally and ecologically sensitive and sustainable corporate development project, which benefited the myriad of local tribes along the pipeline route. For the duration of the project, John and Ann lived near Brisbane, Australia, where the project was coordinated. They loved their time abroad, traveling throughout much of Australia and New Zealand.

After retirement, John and Ann continued to fulfill their passion for travel, including several educationally oriented trips focusing on history, geography, and geology. During one trip, they discovered Prescott, AZ, where they built their retirement home. In Prescott, John was active with golf and the Chevron Retirees group. He continued genealogy research started by his grandmother and coordinated Lyle family reunions including many branches of Lyles, and was always thrilled to meet new distant relatives. He was active in historical societies, including the Sons of the American Revolution and many others.

During his time working in Wyoming, John and Ann fell in love with Jackson, WY, and bought a condo with Teton views where they spent the summers, visiting Yellowstone, attending the Grand Teton Music Festival, spending time with friends and family, and fishing.

Ann passed away in 2014 after a multi-year illness, during which John demonstrated his exceptional patience and devotion in caring for Ann.

After Ann’s passing, John reconnected with Sherrill Fisk, his “crush” during his initial time at Rice. They married and John was embraced by Sherry’s family with open arms. John and Sherry split their time between Prescott, Houston, and Jackson. John loved introducing Sherry and her family to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and of course, his life-long passion for fishing.

John is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Sherry, his children, John (Barbara) of The Woodlands, TX, Carol Bronisz (Larry) of Los Alamos, NM, and Robert (Lynda) of Santa Rosa, CA, grandchildren John (Crystal), Kelsey (Josh Johnson), Brendan, Ilya and Dimitry, and many great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his stepchildren Bill Fisk (Tricia), Diana Weeks (Donnie), Susie Patterson (Pat) and Jim Fisk, his step-grandchildren Jonathan, Zachary, Nicholas, Morgan (Ace), Kyle, Shelby, Michael, Daniel, John and Madilynn, as well as many step-great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given to Rice University (giving.rice.edu) or The Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF.org).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialoaksfunerals.com for the Lyle, family.