Lyle E. Saddler

Lyle E Saddler January 27, 1938 - July 14, 2018

Lyle Saddler of Onalaska, WI, passed away peacefully on July 14, 2018. He was 80 years old.

He was a 43 year veteran of the La Crosse Tribune, where he worked as a pressman and later as a press manager. He loved the newspaper and read it faithfully every day until his death.

Lyle loved his family; they were the most important people in his life. He married his high school sweetheart, Jean Frances, on July 18, 1959 and they remained together through thick and thin. He passed 4 days short of their 59 year wedding anniversary, though they had been together over 60 years. During their marriage, they raised 4 children and spent a lot of time in their later years travelling with a goal to visit all 50 states. Lyle very much enjoyed fishing trips and pheasant hunts and even learned that riding on a bus with other like-minded folks led to a lot of adventures, like visiting Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico – one of his favorites.

Privileged to have shared his life, his wife, Jean, his daughter Penne (Brad) Dean of Sioux Falls, SD, his son, Mark, of Anchorage, AK, his son, Scott (Doreen) of Lisle, IL and his son, Brian (Julie) of Onalaska, WI.  Lyle adored his grandchildren, Robyn (Nick) Emme of Pierre, SD, Heather (Erik) Aker of Piedmont, SD, Allen Dean of Sioux Falls, SD, Katie Saddler of Seattle, WA, Alex Saddler of Lisle, IL, Jamie Saddler of Lisle, IL, Rebecca Saddler of Onalaska, Nolan Saddler of Onalaska, Aiden Saddler of Onalaska and Emma Saddler of Onalaska.

He was great-grandfather to Reagan, Payton and Keegan Emme, Isaak, Oliver and Avery Aker, Damon Saddler and Charlotte Saddler.

His children remember him as a loving father who worked very hard to provide for them and who was always supportive of their endeavors. Sandbar camping provided many hours of excitement and fun with water skiing and boat rides. His love of politics carried over to his children, and light-hearted debates occurred on a regular basis. The passion he showed in all aspects of his life was passed on to his children, who are equally passionate in their lives. One of their shared passions was for the Green Bay Packers. Super Bowls in which the Packers played frequently became a family affair, with as many of his children returning home to watch the game as was possible. When he retired from the La Crosse Tribune, he was free to wear the clothes he wanted - which turned out to be mostly made of green and gold.

His grandchildren remember Camp Grandpa where all the cousins would gather for a week of activities without their parents. When Emma would show up without socks, Grandpa would hold his nose. After he first started playing football as a child, Aiden remembers his Grandpa asking if he could tackle. Grandpa soon found out Aiden could not only tackle, but was also good at it. Heather remembers Grandpa's boat and shaking her fist at Minnesota as they went down the river, everyone on board being a Green Bay Packers fan. Robyn also fondly remembers boating with all her cousins during Camp Grandpa as well as sitting quietly with Grandpa and watching the birds and squirrels visit the side yard from the 3 seasons room. Alex remembers an exciting boat ride that ended in the middle of a storm with all in the boat quoting a scene from Forrest Gump, “Is that all you’ve got?!” Allen loved everything there was about fishing with Grandpa. Nolan will always remember when he was in the Cub Scouts, when him and Lyle got to build a racing car for a scouts race. They had so much fun creating their car and getting to paint it and make it their own, when they got to the race they were told they forgot to put weights in the car like the other Cub Scouts have done so they had to last minute cut a hole into the bottom of their car and put weights in the car to help with the speed. Unfortunately the car was still to light and did not go far in the competition, they placed last. All though they were disappointed they didn’t do well they had a fantastic time working together to make a race car from scratch. Becca remembers that Grandpa was always there for her and loved his little sayings like “shake a hanny” whenever someone sneezed. Jamie also remembers the boat ride in the storm and how Grandpa brought them home safely.

Through all the interactions with the family, he always found time for his favorite passion as an avid fisherman and hunter throughout most of his life. He loved the outdoors and, through fur trapping, found ways to use it to help support his young family. When he was not hunting and fishing, he was passionately active in his gardening and lawn care. Throughout his many years there was a competitive gardening challenge with his neighbor, Joe Kammel. Lyle truly found his passion in being outdoors. He was often seen out clipping his hedges and mowing his lawn – both of which gave him an opportunity to converse with his neighbors.

A Prayer Service and family remembrances will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, July 21st at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 907 Sand Lake Road, Onalaska. Deacon Frank Abnet will officiate the prayer service. Visitation will continue from Noon until 2 P.M.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 26 Broadway, Floor 14, New York, New York 10004.