Obituary of Lyle D. Olmsted

Lyle D. Olmsted, 82 years old, passed away on December 31, 2019.  He was born on June 24, 1937 in Chehalis, Washington, to Walter and Frances Olmsted.

Lyle graduated from Centralia High School, and then joined the Navy Reserve in the summer of 1956.  He was stationed at Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle, where he was an Aviation Electronics Technician, working on the electronics gear in airplanes. Shortly after that, he became an instructor in Navy anti-submarine aircraft electronics equipment, teaching Reservists how to operate the submarine detection equipment. Lyle left the Navy in October of 1963.

 He became a manager at Dairy Queen near the station he used to be assigned to in the Navy, later managing a branch in Bellevue as well. He also became partner in two pizza restaurants, one in Redmond, and the other in West Seattle. Eventually, he sold the pizza restaurants and started working for the Seattle Times in the Distribution Centers for about a year, then became the Circulation Manager of a weekly newspaper in Lynnwood, Washington.

Lyle moved to Moses Lake, Washington, and opened a floral supply delivery route for Central Washington, followed by managing a 200-unit mobile home park in Moses Lake, and working for LAD Irrigation as a parts manager. Lyle met and married Maryln Rae Holden on March 10, 2005.

Lyle was as an amateur ham radio operator for 64 years. For the last 12 years, he was the assistant Emergency Coordinator and team advisor for Centralia Amateur Radio Emergency Service Team. He was also a volunteer for the disaster response teams for the city of Centralia, Riverside Fire Authority, and the Centralia Police Department.

Lyle retired at age 64 and made his way back to Chehalis, working for more than 14 years at the Walmart in produce, bakery, deli, and briefly as a support manager in the automotive department. Lyle’s hobbies included fishing, hunting and reading. He will be best remembered for his friendly, hardworking attitude, his great sense of humor, and his strong love for his family.

Lyle is survived by his loving wife, Maryln Olmsted; his sons, Rodney A. Olmsted and Dan P. Olmsted; daughter, Sandra Olmsted; brothers, Merle Olmsted (of Kentucky), Steve Fort (of England); sister, Sharon Neuert; stepsister, Darlene Bischoff; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, Walter and Frances Olmsted; and grandparents, John and Ida Smith.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Centralia ARES at Centralia Police Department, PO Box 609, Centralia, WA 98531.

 

 

NO FLOWERS, PLEASE.

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