LORNE AND ROSE-MARIE KYLE

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LORNE CAMPBELL KYLE

ROSE-MARIE (MIDGE) KYLE

Midge and Lorne's unexpected deaths on December 24, 2020 are nothing more than a footnote to their well-lived lives. Devoted to one another for over 63 years, it is only fitting that they remained together in their passing.
While opposite in most ways, Lorne and Midge shared a need for independence, they were brought together by their curiosity of life, and an unshaken belief in family and God.
Born July 13, 1937, to Eugene and Edna (nee Early), Lorne lived at the family farm in Oakbank until his move to Morden in 1958. He always said he had two homes, one in Morden and "the cabin" as Midge like to refer to it in Oakbank.
One of his many early proud teenage moments was when he consecutively won the Adult Men's Tractor Ploughing matches in Springfield. The local Ford dealer, Mr. Manley, would lend a new tractor to him for the competition and Lorne would never let him down.
Lorne was a natural-born athlete, and soon ploughing was replaced with athletics when he joined the St. Vital Mustangs football team. It was during one of the games that Midge (Rose-Marie who was a petite soft-spoken French teen ) noticed the Redhead on the field who possessed a very colourful English language vocabulary.
Their paths crossed again when Lorne worked in the Eaton's Store Mail Department. At one of those deliveries to another department he met the petite, soft spoken French lass who stole his heart and he never looked elsewhere for the rest of his life. She did not run away when she met the rest of the boisterous Kyle clan. They had a candlelight evening wedding at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Winnipeg during the Thanksgiving weekend in 1958.
Lorne continued farming on the homestead with his father and brother Laurie for many decades. Midge helped bridge the two-hour distance between Morden and the Oakbank by packing up the family each weekend so that Lorne could follow his farming passion.
Lorne joined the Morden Research Station in 1958 as a Laboratory Technician, the position he held until his retirement. Lorne, helped establish a wide variety of crops, from Jerusalem Artichokes to Dill Oil. As a Registered Seed Grower (for over 50 years) he later joined Bob Anderson to establish Springfield Mills in Oakbank. Lorne's need to innovate focused on buckwheat. He developed new buckwheat varieties with Dr Kenaschuk and various partners.
His life-long dream was achieved when his son Angus joined him in Springfield Mills Inc. Giving back to the community, Lorne was honoured to help develop seed for blood sugar research materials through the St. Boniface Research Foundation.
As the Founding Director, he helped develop the Prairie Oat Growers Association and was instrumental in the establishment of the Manitoba Buckwheat Association.
Lorne loved competing in sports, including water-skiing, baseball with the Senior Men's Morden Mohawks and Dodgers, curling and later in life as a coach and official in many sports. He and the Elks started female softball in Morden, as well as the July 1 Baseball Tournament which hosted over 24 teams to Morden. Off the field, he was an advocate for the Buhler Baseball Field for the Western Canada Championship.
The fall was an early Christmas for Lorne, it was the "Fall Supper Season," in which he had a Top 10 rating for each town's meal. The season gave Midge and Lorne reasons for a road-trip in the "Sunday Sedan," eating pie while catching up chats with old friends around Southern Manitoba.
Born April 16, 1938, Midge, daughter of Elsie and Thom Bellamy was raised speaking French in St. Boniface. With steely determination and a positive outlook, she learned to live as an English speaker.
Over the years in Morden, Midge volunteered as a 4-H leader, library children's book reader, and was active in the Royal Purple while being a mother to her young family. Upon her retirement from Farm Credit she took up volunteering. She volunteered for over a decade for the Morden United Way and Caring and Sharing (food hamper provider). Her undying faiths lead her to be a very active volunteer with the St. Thomas Anglican Church Vestry and their congregation. She will be deeply missed by those friends.
Midge lived for the golf season. At the age of 68 she took up the game and it became her passion. She played for over a decade at the Miami Golf Club women's league with her daughter Colleen. This then evolved into their "Tuesday Date Night" throughout the whole year. Once again this summer she participated in the "Four Play Golf Lottery." She golfed in Miami, Roland, Pilot Mound, just missing out in Treherne.
Midge also had many amazing adventures as a member of the Morden-Winkler Ladies Crown Jewels Club that traveled to Halifax, La Vegas, Florida and the Caribbean.
Both were active in the Royal Purple and Elks service groups where they made life-long friends that resulted in the annual Grey Cup Party. In the mid 1960s Lorne was the Exalted Ruler of the Morden Lodge. Then in 1978, he was named the Elk of the Year. Throughout the years he was on committees for the Jam Can Bonspiel and the Corn and Apple BBQ and his favourite Monday night card game with the boys. Recently they became members of the Royal Canadian Legion where they enjoyed socializing. Lorne and Midge welcomed new friends, many they recently met at Shifters. As mom mentioned many times, "It's never a dull moment being with Lorne, he can talk to anyone about anything."
Firm believers that the value in life is "it is what you give, not what you get," they fully participated in their community and will be missed by everyone.
They unconditionally loved their family: John (died in infancy), Colleen; Tanis (Steve, Jack and Eliza Raizen); Angus (Jackie, Sloan, and Isla). They also leave to mourn Laurie Kyle, Lynn Westlund, Elsie Bellamy and their families and numerous friends.
A private funeral service through Wiebe Funeral Home will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 with a memorial following in the summer.
Donations may be made in Lorne and Midge's memory to The St. Thomas Anglican Church Kyle Family Memorial Fund, The Morden Elks, The Morden Foundation or a charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 02, 2021