Jack Adam Carlyle

Jack Adam Carlyle, 85, Rapid City, died Monday June 22, 2009 at Ft. Meade VA Medical Center. He was born in Carroll Iowa on October 11th 1923 to Harris and Margaret Carlyle. He grew up in Denison Iowa where he met and married his high school sweet heart Elvera Gloede on January 21st 1943. Jack was drafted into the United States Air Force on January 25th 1943 and was assigned to the 5th Air Force crew as a waist gunner on the B-24 Bomber. He flew 35 missions over enemy territory in the South Pacific Theatre of War and was honorably discharged in June 1945. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at the University of Omaha, Nebraska, Jack and his brother Tom took over the family business “Carlyle Memorials” in Denison, IA in 1950. Jack managed the operations and expanded the business in early 1960 with the development of contemporary cemetery designs. He began with Crawford Heights Memory Gardens in Denison and continued for 10 years in several states including Kansas and Idaho. Jack sold his portion of the business in the early 1970’s. He and Elvera semi-retired in Rapid City in 1982 and took over the cafeteria operation at Western South Dakota Vocational Tech. School. Dad was a loving, kind, generous, caring and understanding man. He was a devout Christian and an active member of his church. Jack was superintendent of his children’s Sunday school in the mid 1950’s. He will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elvera, Rapid City; his two children: Keith Carlyle of Rapid City, SD and Stephen Carlyle of Ft. Collins, CO and their wives Pam and Michelle. Grand children: Trent, Justin, Amber, Kimbra, Shane, Dylan, Jordan and great grandson Jacob.