Lyle Schmeling

Lyle Obert Schmeling, child of God, died on March 16, 2019. Lyle was born in Watertown, South Dakota at Lutheran Hospital on Aug 8, 1928.. He was baptised and confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church. He attended the 1-room schoolhouse in Rauville where his future wife, Delores Lentz, remembers his first day at school! He was the oldest of what would be 9 children of Elmer and Myrtle Schmeling.

His early years involved helping on the farm, but he was primarily drawn to the machinery and especially engines. He worked with his father, Elmer, on one of the first traveling combine crews in the summers of 1947-49. . They began in south Texas and worked their way north to South Dakota by the end of summer. Hi s father, Elmer, was an ingenious man who tinkered with all the farm equipment and even rewound car batteries in the family kitchen to create power for lighting! Lyle inherited that love of tinkering and practical knowledge of machines and electricity.

He attended Lutheran High School in New Ulm, Minn. where he played basketball and ping pong! He attended South Dakota State College in Brookings -where he asked what was the hardest degree they had before choosing Electrical Engineering. He graduated in 1950. He worked on the farm of Clint and Cassie Lewis throughout college and earned enough money to propose to Delores Lentz.

Lyle and Delores married Sept. 11, 1948 in a double wedding with her sister, Lauretta. Daughter Sheila was born in 1949. He joined the US Air Force and attended officers training in Denver, CO in 1950 - a place they enjoyed and remembered when he retired from the military 20 years later!

They were stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi before transferring to Wurtzburg, Germany in 1955, where Susan was born in 1956. . Lyle worked on electrical controls for missiles: Titans, Thors, Thorables and Minutemen throughout his military career. The growing family lived in Florida (adding Sheryl and Dean), Texas, California (adding Gary) and Massachusetts. As the kids were growing up he spent time teaching them fishing, ice skating, playing catch and provided electrical demonstrations at our schools. He sang with a fine tenor voice and introduced Sheryl to church choir singing.

After retirement from the Air Force - but not his work career! - the family relocated near the place they had enjoyed back in 1950 - Colorado Springs. Lyle did TV repair while waiting for an engineering job. He said he had considered running a shop like that until he worked there! He was employed by Skylab, working on a control panel and made his last move to Centennial, CO in 1972.

He continued working in Electrical Engineering until the age of 67. After he stopped working for pay, he started the next phase of organizing a group of retirees who called themselves the Gee-Sirs who did many projects at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and school. He greatly enjoyed his grandchildren. He took pride in his yard. He was very generous in giving and passed that on to his children. He had an incredible spirit of optimism and enthusiasm of life.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Arlyn and Frank, and granddaughter Sydney. He will be greatly missed by his partner of 70 years, whom he adored, Delores. He is also survived by his sisters: Maxine, Audrey, Carol, Donna, Deanna and Jan; his children: Sheila, Susan (David), Sheryl, Dean (Jane), and Gary (Elaine); and his grandchildren: Kyle, Dillon, Aiden, Joseph, Jaden, Mariah, Jaxson, Willow and Blake.