Frances Lyle (née Gildersleeve) passed away February 25, 2024, at the age of 102. Born February 6, 1922, in Clinton (Henry County), MO, Frances lived a full, purposeful, and vibrant life as a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Her warm and high-spirited personality drew people to her everywhere she lived, worked, and traveled.
Frances was the only child of Lee and Thelma (Callen) Gildersleeve. During the Great Depression, the family moved from Clinton to Fredonia, KS, then Belle Plaine, KS, and later to Kansas City, MO. When Frances was 11, her parents moved to a family farm in Shawnee Mound, MO, ten miles north of Clinton. Frances graduated at age 16 as valedictorian of the Shawnee Mound High School Class of 1938. She received a $60 loan from her uncle to attend Kansas City Business School (KCBS). To earn her room and board, she worked as a housekeeper at a private home on East 77th Street. At KCBS, she developed impressive skills in typing and shorthand and also cultivated an elegant handwriting style which graced even her most recent cards and letters. Upon graduating, she returned to Clinton and started a work life that spanned eight decades. From 1939 to the early 1950s, Frances worked at Crowe Coal Company where a lifetime of friendships and stories were launched. In 1943, she married Arthur Lee Wilson of Clinton. While serving with the United States Marine Corps in World War II, Arthur Lee was killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima. As a young war widow, Frances remained in Clinton. She married H.R. (Henry Ruffner) “Tex” Lyle from Athens, Georgia, on June 8, 1952, in Marshall, MO. Frances and Tex were the parents of two daughters, Rachel and Ingrid.
From 1963 to 1973, Tex’s work prompted family moves around Missouri. Throughout Tex’s agri-business career and farming operations, Frances was his helpmate and keeper of the home fires. In 1973, the Lyles returned to their Clinton home. For the next 20 years, Frances was office manager for Browning Van and Storage. She later worked at Walmart as a greeter and at the Henry County Library. Working with Frances was like winning the sweepstakes: in her, you had not only a very capable co-worker, but a trusted confidante, in-house therapist, and resident humorist. She forged work relationships into genuine friendships through the generosity of her big heart and equally big personality. At age 82, Frances was chosen Outstanding Older Worker for Missouri. She traveled to Washington, D.C., for the national awards ceremony.
In 2008, Frances and Tex moved to Springfield, MO, to be near family. After Tex passed away that year, Frances lived independently in their home for the rest of her life. She was a lifelong reader and an avid worker of crossword puzzles. She enjoyed music, sang in the church choir, and played the piano by ear. She was an adventurous cook, always looking for new and different recipes. Frances loved to travel and saw much of the world with family and friends. She was a lifelong church member and a charter member of the Clinton United Methodist Church. She was a long-time children’s Sunday School teacher and nursery worker. She loved animals and adopted all her pets, the most recent in her 100th year. She was a masterful and entertaining storyteller, but an even better listener. Her practical and wise observations, quick wit, and hearty laugh were appreciated by multiple generations.
Frances gave of herself in every way: her time, her resources, and her prayers were given in abundance. She loved kids – her own, her friends’ and neighbors’ and the children of the world. She was a generous supporter of numerous charities and was a faithful volunteer until her death.
Frances is survived by daughter Rachel Lyle (Jonathan Paretsky) of Lawrence, KS; daughter Ingrid Denney of Springfield, MO; granddaughter Adrienne Soucie (Brendan) of Kansas City, MO; and her dog Jewel of the home. Also sharing the memory of Frances are her legions of friends with whom she stayed close via visits, letters, cards, phone calls and texts.
Her impact is immeasurable on her family and her friends. Everyone who knew Frances will remember her in their own way, but undoubtedly for her wit, kindness and ability to light up a room with her presence. A service celebrating Frances’s life will be scheduled. To honor her memory, hug an old friend or make a new one; tell someone a laugh-out-loud story; or contribute to the charity of your choice.
