Lyle Rodney Smith

Lyle Rodney Smith was born on September 13, 1956 at the Calgary General Hospital. He was the youngest child of four and the only son, and often admitted that he was the spoiled child from day one!  His parents, Mary and Chester Smith raised their family (Noreen, Marion, Sheila and Lyle) in the Fernie Place SE home and enjoyed wonderful relationships with their neighbours, specifically the Fahie family who were situated next door to them. Dave Fahie was about Lyle’s age, and they have known and grown up as best friends since they were 4 years old.

Lyle’s parents enrolled him in Bag Piping lessons when he was quite young. He succeeded in driving his neighbours nuts by practising relentlessly in the backyard for years. However, he was successful with that and, for years, played the bagpipes for many, many venues and even travelled to Scotland to play in many events. His piper friends remember a playful, fun, talented Lyle piping at some very memorable events. He truly was talented and has received many awards over the years.

Lyle’s dad, Chester, was in the trucking industry, and because of that, Lyle had a very early start in the Automotive and Trucking Industry, learning everything possible from his dad, as well as his uncles.  He worked at their Bonnybrook Truck Wash for years, gaining immense experience and knowledge in the trucking world.
Eventually he started his hand in the Sales Industry and was hired on at Maclin Ford as a Salesman.  Within a couple of years, Lyle was promoted to Sales Manager and never looked back.  He had huge success in mentoring his Sales Staff and Support Staff and managed to attain many Sales awards.

In 1996, Lyle took a break from the Automotive Industry and tried his luck in the Restaurant and Bar Industry, joining his Uncle Bob in a new adventure. He excelled in that industry as well simply because of his wonderful nature of making new friends and attracting a ton of new business for him in the pub industry.

Then in roughly 2001, he decided he “was a car guy, not a bar guy” and accepted a Sales Manager’s position at Shaw GMC (on the Blackfoot!).  He quickly won over the entire staff and managers and earned a ton of Sales Awards and Employee of the Year Awards over the next 15 years.  He often mentioned the fact that Shaw GMC was, in fact, his “Shaw family” and he was intensely devoted to his Sales team for years and in fact, has had close personal relationships with most of the staff since then.

After a brief summer break, Lyle joined the wonderful group at GSL Chev City in Calgary and was lucky enough to meet and work with some of the best in the industry once again, and once again, he has met and befriended some of the best friends of his life at GSL.  He rarely missed a day of work, only because of the outstanding people who also became life-time friends.  He has mentored many people in his Sales Industry and few can match his wisdom in the Automotive World.

Lyle enjoyed a ton of outdoor fun.  His whole life consisted of boating, camping in his numerous vintage vans with his buds at Little Bow, his RVs, and eventually buying a piece of heaven with Joyce at the Moyie River Ranch Resort in 2006, where they worked and built a true paradise on the river, picking and moving tons of huge rocks, planting trees, building sheds, sweating, and drinking beer with all their new and wonderful friends, who also have done the exact same thing over the years.  They are all truly frontiersmen and so close to our hearts.

Lyle spent this last summer at the River, insisting on being there as much as he could, even though he was a very sick man.  He endured a lot to be there, having to take many medications, but his sons, Ian (and Jen and children Abby, Deegan and Bryton), and James (and Sophie and children Emma and Adam), as well as Joyce and his extended family, made it all happen.

Lyle chose to leave this world on the exact same date that he was born, with his family surrounding him in his favourite chair at home.
We will all remember Lyle Smith as a hard-working, hard-loving man, father, grandfather, friend and husband. Your legacy shall live on forever, Lyle.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Lyle at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 285 (9202 Horton Road SW) on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 2:00 pm with a eulogy by Landen Henkelman

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