Lyle Bjork ’63

Lyle Bjork ’63 died March 6 in Kauai, Hawaii, from complications of dementia. Lyle was from Seattle and attended Franklin High School, where he participated in band, dramatics, and debate. He majored in modern European history at Dartmouth but his favorite class was Geology 1. He was a member of crew, the Marching Band (flute), and Forensic Union all four years. Two years in the Peace Corps followed Dartmouth, and teaching English in a small town in Turkey made a large impression on Lyle. He returned to the United States, earned a master’s in teaching at Reed College, and taught social studies and history in Seattle for 11 years. He then sold real estate in Seattle for Russell Jones Real Estate for 25 years. Lyle was active in Seattle with Shoreline Federation of Teachers, Capital Hill Community Council, Seattle First Baptist Church, and Seattle Alliance for Education. Perhaps most important was his membership in the Seattle Opera Chorus (a paid position). He and his wife, Ann, moved to Kauai in 2009 and punctuated their life there with an around-the-world trip in 2013, planning as they went. They returned to Kauai, where the dementia that had plagued his family for generations affected Lyle in his last years. In addition to Ann, to whom he was married for 58 years, he is survived by his two children.