City Alderman, Community Volunteer Dies

PRAIRIE GROVE — The city of Prairie Grove lost a city aldermen and an active volunteer in the community when Buddy Lyle died Tuesday, June 3, in Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville.

“It’s hard to find people of Buddy’s caliber,” said Larry Oelrich with the city of Prairie Grove. “By caliber, I mean someone with his education, smarts and wisdom. When he made his decision to volunteer in retirement, he took it to heart.”

Lyle, 78, was involved in many areas in the community. He had served as a city alderman for Ward 3, Position 2, since April 2005, when he agreed to an appointment to the City Council to fill a vacated seat. He ran unopposed four more times.

He served the Prairie Grove Chamber of Commerce in many ways. He served as administrator, a past president and organizer of the Prairie Grove Farmer’s Market. He was still a member of the chamber board at the time of his death.

Lyle and his wife, Pat Lyle, have been active volunteers with the Prairie Grove Senior Center, delivering Meals on Wheels to the homebound every Friday.

He also was instrumen- tal in chartering the local AARP chapter and served two years as the chapter’s president.

Lyle was a member of the Prairie Grove Occidental Lodge 436 serving as worshipful master, was a deacon in First Presbyterian Church in Prairie Grove and a past member of the Arkansas Literacy Council’s board of directors. He also served as a member of advisory board at Northwest Technical Institute.

In 2010, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Prairie Grove Chamber of Commerce. He received the leadership award from the Arkansas Leadership Academy and was awarded by the University of Arkansas as a teaching scholar for distance learning.

“He was involved in a little bit of everything,” Oelrich said. “I think he was as busy in retirement as he was before he retired. He will really be missed.”

Linda Willkie, director of Prairie Grove Senior Center, said Lyle was a “man of few words” and believed that “if you are part of something you need to do what needs to be done.”

She said Lyle was a mentor, a good role model and a great supporter of the senior center.

“The town definitely lost a great person. He will definitely be missed for sure,” Willkie said.

Mayor Sonny Hudson said people knew about Lyle’s intelligence but Hudson noted Lyle also was a “common sense kind of person.”

Hudson, like others, said Lyle will be missed, not only as a person, but also for his leadership in the community.

Lyle