Lyle Harvey McMindes, 93, of Grand Island, passed away on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Memorial service and a celebration of Lyle’s life will be held at All Faiths Funeral Home in the near future.
Lyle was born on February 12, 1932, on a ranch in Garfield County, Nebraska, some ten miles east of Burwell. His parents were Albert (Bill) and Isabel McMindes.
His early schooling was in North Loup. In 1942 his family moved to Grand Island. Lyle attended Dodge School, Barr, and was graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1950.
He had two years of college at Kearney State College before being inducted into the U.S. Army in June, 1953. He was stationed in Korea and served as Supply Sergeant for an Army Artillery Battery directly on the DMZ. His unit helped provide security and was very involved in the prisoner exchange at Panmunjon in 1953 and 1954.
Upon his return from Korea in 1955 he resumed his college education and graduated from Kearney State in 1957. For four years he taught at Hildreth and Central City High Schools.
In 1968 Lyle opened Holiday Tour and Travel Agency in the Yancey Hotel. For the next 32 years he owned and operated travel agencies at various locations in Kearney and Grand Island. He provided many tours to European countries and a trip to Australia and New Zealand for Chief Industries. He conducted many trips to Washington, D.C. for high school students in Nebraska and Kansas.
He met Jean Irish in 1979 and they were married at Lake Tahoe in 1987, a second marriage for both. They both retired in 2000 and purchased a larger home. Everyone expected the couple to travel. However, Lyle always stated that for him to take a trip would be akin to a postman taking a walk. Instead time was spent feeding the birds and cursing the squirrels and crab grass. The truth was he enjoyed every day the sun came up. He especially enjoyed taking his grandsons to Coney Island and acting as servant to his beloved cats.
Lyle remained close to his high school and college friends as well as vets who served in Korea. He was blessed to have many friends, particularly at the golf course, Vets Club, and the race track at Fonner Park.
Lyle enjoyed watching sports, especially Husker football and basketball. He was very knowledgeable about baseball and was proud that he had met famous sports figures, Buck O’Neil and Jesse Owens.
Survivors include his wife, Jean; children Michele Francis of Springfield, MO, Shawn (Tim) Dunnagan of West Yellowstone, MT, Michael (Crissy) McMindes of Omaha; Jean’s daughter, Sean (Walter) Wasserburger of Grand Island; seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; infant brother, Donald Dean; sister and brother-in-law, Annabel and Jim Houts, their son, Dale; mother of his children, Janice McMindes; and Jean’s daughters, Kellie Irish and Marlys Brindisi.
Memorials are suggested to the Veterans Honor Guard and Voice for Companion Animals, two organizations he admired.
Burial took place following the service on Friday, March 20, in the Veterans Cemetery in Grand Island.
