Dr. David Lyth

Gregarious, kind, and generous, Dr. David Lyth was blessed to live a most interesting life. Dave was a great conversationalist who easily connected with others, made friends immediately, and was often the life of the party. Welcoming each day as a gift, Dave lived each moment to the fullest. He delighted in a good story, inspired much laughter, and never hesitated to give of his time and talents in service of others. A devoted husband, brother, uncle, teacher, colleague, and friend, Dave will long be remembered and so dearly missed.

1950 was the start of fast changes that would be witnessed for the following two decades. As the Great Depression was becoming a faint memory, families moved to the suburbs. Times were gentler as the nation’s focus was on family and hope for a brighter future. Nowhere was there more hope than in the home of Leo and Alice Lyth as they welcomed their son David to their family on May 12 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Growing up in West Michigan, Dave enjoyed the good company of his brother, Bill, and the comforts of being raised by brilliant parents. His father was a chemist at Upjohn, and his mother, as a medical technologist, helped research the cure for the Rh factor. From his earliest years, Dave possessed an engineer’s mind and an appreciation for the arts, music, and other talents.

A bright student, Dave attended Michigan Technological University, where he had the good fortune of meeting fellow student Joyce Caylor during their first year of school. One of only three hundred women amongst 4,500 male students in 1968, Joyce immediately caught Dave’s eye when he saw her talking with his roommate. With signature ease and determination, he inserted him into their conversation and introduced himself.

Dave learned that Joyce was a first-generation college student studying accounting at a time when most women went to college to study either teaching or nursing. He was moved by the way she confidently paved her own way in the world. The pair were soon a couple, and after graduating with his Bachelor of Science from Michigan Tech in 1973, Dave and Joyce married.

For a time, Dave worked as a quality engineer in Kalamazoo. In 1978, when he began teaching college, the couple returned to Houghton. Dave earned his Master of Science in Business from Western in 1979. In 1981, Joyce and Dave relocated to Kalamazoo when Dave started his Ph.D. at Michigan State. After completing his doctorate, Dave began his 33 year long teaching career at Western Michigan University.

As a Professor in the Engineering Management program at WMU, Dave and his colleague Larry Mallak helped build up those programs to national and international recognition. They also collaborated to design and deliver custom training and projects with corporate clients. As an educator, Dave’s classrooms were filled with laughter, learning, and many stories. He enjoyed staying in contact with his former students and continuing to watch them grow.

In faculty meetings, Dave enthusiastically provided “feedback” to those who shared unreadable slides. Fun-loving and family-oriented, Dave made sure others didn’t miss out on family time; he’d even held business meetings at the ice cream parlor so the other person could bring their kids along. Always valuing fair decisions, he would advocate for students, faculty, staff, and others in positions seeking the greater good. Dave was a trusted academic advisor to many students, most of whom arrived from faraway countries to study at WMU. If a student had a problem, they knew they could go to Dr. Lyth and get it solved.

Over the years, Dave and Joyce shared many passions, including family, friends, traveling, hunting and, for Dave, flyfishing with friends at Trout Camp. He was Uncle Dave to many, even children of good friends. He never forgot birthdays, always calling and singing three birthday songs, two of which he created. Dave loved taking his extended family and friends to a live theatre production. For 40 years, he attended shows at The Barn Theatre, where he had front-row seats and delighted in the many showtunes he loved with friends and family.

Dave and Joyce loved celebrating special events and holidays and hosting family and friends for pig roasts. He loved roasting the pig, and the gatherings were always a success. Dave loved telling stories and making pasties and holiday fruit cakes. While fly fishing with his fishing buddies, “Lies were told, fish were caught, and beer was drunk!” On many fishing trips, the guys would stop in a local tackle shop, where Dave would inevitably find someone to chat with about the local hot spots. Though fishermen aren’t keen on giving up their secrets, Dave was always able to charm them into sharing.

As Dave was active in his professional societies, he attended many conferences from Honolulu to Sweden to share his work, his wit, and his stories. Joyce was frequently with him and could often be spotted in the audience for his presentations. During their 40 happy years together, Dave and Joyce traveled to all 50 states, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Starting in 1996, Dave and Joyce spent spring break in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, each year, forming special friendships with friends and families in Hawaii. Dave’s favorite adventures included seeing the green flash in Hawaii, rafting the Grand Canyon with Joyce for their 25th anniversary, snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park, and cruising the coast of Norway on Midsummer’s Eve when the sun never set.

Dave was often the biggest supporter of others’ talents, dreams, and goals, giving to numerous organizations and charities. He endowed student scholarships within two universities and always thought fondly of the student recipients, often attending their graduations. Dave was especially supportive and encouraging of his brother Bill’s artwork. Together, they developed a dry stream on Dave’s property, using the trout sculptures made by Bill.

A man who found happiness in most everything, Dave’s greatest joy was his marriage to Joyce. Whether cheering on each other’s professional endeavors, hosting gatherings, traveling to visit family, going white water rafting, or ensuring Joyce’s good care when she was ill, Dave relished every moment they shared and was completely devoted to his wife. In the comforts of Dave’s unwavering support and care, Joyce courageously battled brain cancer for five years. Though he missed Joyce terribly, with the support of his many loved ones, Dave continued to embrace life’s joys, including traveling to Hawaii and abroad, sometimes with his niece, Carolyn.

A legend to all who were blessed to know him, Dave’s legacy of lifelong learning, wit, curiosity, and generosity will long live in the hearts of those he so dearly loved. Survived by his brother, Bill Lyth and his wife, Janalee Reineke Lyth, and their daughter, Carolyn Reineke Lyth; Dave is also survived by his brother-in-law, Dale Caylor and his wife, Noreen, and several cousins and their families. Dave had a wide circle of friends and will be greatly missed.

The family is grateful to Mary Lou Boughton, Matt Gross, Lauren Frost, the Everhardus Family, and many of Dave’s close friends for providing loving assistance with his transitions in life during the past year.

A Life Story Service will be held Saturday, June 15 at 11 AM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900. A reception will follow in the Life Story Center, where food, drinks, and stories will be shared. Celebrate Dave’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on his dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. Memorial contributions may be made to Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, American Cancer Society, Michigan Technological University, WMU Foundation, or a charity of your choice.