Lyle E. Evans, 91

Lyle E. Evans, 91, passed away in Spokane, Wash., on Wednesday, March 16, 2016.

Memorial services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, in Coffelt's Funeral Chapel with military honors. Pastor Jon Pomeroy, Sandpoint Church of God, will be officiating. A reception will follow at the VFW Hall, Pine and Division, in Sandpoint.

Lyle was born Aug. 28, 1924, in Sandpoint, Idaho. He learned how to swim very early and was always a strong swimmer. The family later moved to 1116 Pine St., Sandpoint and he attended Farmin School and Sandpoint High School. When Lyle was about 11 years old he and his year-older brother, Leon, spent a year in a children's reformatory in St. Anthony, Idaho, because they ran away from home by hopping on a train and getting as far as Thompson Falls, Mont. Lyle served as a Marine from June 1944 to June 1946 in Tinian, Saipan, and Guam in the Mariana Islands.

On Nov. 30, 1946, Lyle married ‘Trisha' (Pat Timblin), in Thompson Falls. Pat and Lyle had two sons, Dan (May 17, 1949) and David (July 11, 1950). Pat and Lyle's first home they owned was at the corner of Ruth and Spruce in Sandpoint. It was built by Lyle and his brothers from lumber salvaged from the old grange in Colburn. The initial house was very small, but was enlarged and remodeled through the years.

After the war, Lyle had various short-term jobs, including working in a tire shop and concrete plant in Ephrata Wash. He also worked as a setter for his sawyer brother-in-law Jim Timblin at Balch's mill and worked in a small logging operation up Pack River with brother-in-law Melvin Timblin. Through the GI Bill, Lyle went to school for welding and as a mechanic. Lyle was a welder at Cabinet Falls Dam, Noxon Dam, Albeni Falls Dam, and Boundary Dam. It was while he worked at Albeni Falls that he became friends with Harry Roberts, and through Lyle, Harry met Pat's sister Mary Ellen Timblin, who Harry would marry.

In the mid-1950s, Lyle worked with his father Frank (‘Red', ‘The Old Man') at the fish house on Pine Street (Evans Fisheries). Lyle assumed ownership and operation of the business and, for many years, did custom smoking, bought, smoked, and sold bluebacks, salmon and turkeys until the lake was closed to commercial fishing.

During the summer, Lyle also bought and sold huckleberries, buying huckleberries at Pine Street and he also had a camp in the Buckhorn Mine area, north of Moyie Springs where he also bought berries. He was helped with the fish and huckleberries by his sons Dan and David and also by his nephew Dennis Evans, neighbor Dan Savage and nephew Bud Ayers.

After the fish house closed, Lyle later worked as an insurance salesman for many years.

After retiring, he remained active working on different projects including building oak cabinets. He also worked for his son David who had a survey business, David Evans and Associates. One job he had that he especially enjoyed was working for his brother-in-law, Lloyd Peiffer, closing forest service roads in Montana. He also liked to drive his Case 930 diesel tractor, and used it for getting wood, snowplowing and occasionally running his tractor into the house, garage, or any trees unable to get out of the way quickly enough. He enjoyed cooking and having family and friends gatherings at the ‘Getchell House' in the Lake Stevens, Wash., area.

Lyle was preceded in death by his father, mother, a sister and nine brothers. He is survived by both of his sons, his daughterw-in-law, 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook for Lyle at www.coffeltfuneral.com.

Final arrangements are entrusted to Coffelt Funeral Service of Sandpoint.