Elizabeth V. Lyles

ELIZABETH MARIE VENEMANN LYLES October 18, 1911 - March 30, 2008 A Woman of Firsts Elizabeth Lyles passed away on Sunday, March 30, 2008, her 75th wedding anniversary. She was born Elizabeth Marie Venemann in Denver, Co., the oldest of two children born to Henry Gerald Venemann and Elizabeth Frey Doughty. Her only sibling, Minadele Venemann was four years younger. Elizabeth attended elementary school in Iowa and Nebraska. She graduated from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. and went on to Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana where she was an Honor Student and recipient of Purdue's coveted Mortar Board awarded to campus student women leaders. She was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta National Sorority in which she maintained a lifelong interest and support. Elizabeth participated in debating and field hockey on an intercollegiate level. She graduated in 1933 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. While attending the Episcopal student organization, Canterbury, Elizabeth met her husband to be, William M. Lyles, and they married in 1933. She went on to earn her Masters Degree from Purdue University in 1934. From 1935 to 1950 Elizabeth was a substitute secondary school teacher in Indiana and California. In 1945 she and Bill founded the W. M. Lyles Co. in Avenal, a California firm specializing in pipeline and utility construction. Elizabeth served as secretary and treasurer of the company until her husband's untimely death in 1965 at which time she became president and relocated the W. M. Lyles headquarters office and her residence to Fresno where she remained for the rest of her life. Today this business has evolved into Lyles Diversified, Inc. with interests in real estate, many facets of underground utilities, concrete and mechanical construction, grading and paving. Its offshoot, Pelco Sales, Inc. has agricultural interests, and until October 2007 owned one-half of Pelco, a Fresno manufacturing business. Elizabeth was always willing to work hard. It was her belief that our success should be used to benefit our communities and others. She was frugal unto herself as a daughter of The Great Depression, but willing to lavish resources on others. She had loyal devotion to family, extended family, fellow business associates, friends, or any organization to which she ever belonged. She went about her ways of giving unstintingly to the causes in which she believed: honesty, dedication to hard work and unselfish giving. A Woman of Firsts who was truly ahead of her time, Elizabeth was the first woman deputy from the Diocese of San Joaquin to the national convention of the Episcopal Church, a job she held for 15 years. She was the first woman director for the Fresno County and City Chamber of Commerce, first woman to serve on the West Hills College Board, and the first woman director for the Purdue University Alumni Association. Mrs. Lyles established and funded the Lyles Foundation, a supporting organization of the Fresno Regional Foundation. This foundation supports through grants over thirty charitable organizations each year. She was the first Alpha Xi Delta to donate more than $100,000 to the Fraternity. In particular Elizabeth Lyles was a major donor to: The Junior Company Foundation; Fresno Metropolitan Museum where she gave annual support and was a donor of the Lyles Theater during the initial development of The Fresno Bee building conversion to the museum; The Fresno Philharmonic; Fresno Chaffee Zoo where she gave support and major gifts to the Paul Chaffee Memorial Zoo Hospital and the Sunda Forest Orangutan-Tiger Exhibit; The Alpha Xi Delta Foundation which was her beloved sorority; The Boy Scouts of America with whom she was an annual supporter and major donor to the 2002 construction of new Fresno Scout service center; California State University, Fresno Education Building, Theater renovation, Entrepreneurial program and provided the pipe organ located in the Music School Vocal Performance Hall; Purdue University, including the Lyles Computer Lab for the Construction Engineering Management Program; St. Columba Church; The Camp San Joaquin Commission; Episcopal Camps and Conference Center Oakhurst-1982; and Valley Public Television facilities. Among her many honors and recognitions: 1968 named as an Alpha Xi Delta Woman of Achievement in Business; 1980 Purdue Alumni Association Alumni Citizenship Award; 1984 Purdue Alumni Association awarded her with its Distinguished Purdue Woman Award (she was the fourth woman to receive the award); 1987 named The Fresno Bee and YWCA Business-Professional Woman of the Year; 1990 Named as Woman of the Year by the Fresno City-County Commission on the Status of Women; 1992 Lewis S. Eaton Award from Valley Public Television for commitment to KVPT with a passion for programming and educational services for the Valley; 2004 Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year designation by the California Valley Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals; 2005 Alpha Xi Delta Woman of Distinction given by the national sorority to members who exhibit excellence and extraordinary leadership in their professions and philanthropic pursuits, only 47 woman had received this honor in the previous 20 years; and The Bishops Cross from the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. Mrs. Elizabeth Lyles has devoted much of her life to sharing her blessings and resources for the benefit and improvement of her community and those less fortunate. Mrs. Lyles' generosity extends back many decades, and reflects a lifetime of selfless giving of volunteer time, financial support, and valuable insight to a myriad of organizations that have impacted her life and the life of her family. Mrs. Lyles was also active in many religious and community organizations: Job's Daughter Guardian in Avenal for over ten years; Girl Scout Treasurer in Avenal; Cub Scout Den Mother in Avenal; Church School Superintendent, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Avenal; Member of the Avenal Women's Club; President of the Avenal American Association of University Women and member in Avenal and Fresno; Elected to the West Hills College Board; Board member of the Sequoia Council Boy Scouts of America; Regional Director for the Purdue Alumni Association; 1981-1986 Purdue Foundation Board of Governors; Alpha Xi Delta 1982 Foundation nominating committee; 1984 national financial planning task force, and served on the Foundation board of trustees; Served on the Board of Directors of the Fresno Philharmonic Association; Served on the Board of the Fresno County and City Chamber of Commerce and chaired the Education Committee; Founding president of the Fresno chapter of Zonta International, a service organization; and was the oldest surviving president of the Diocese of San Joaquin Episcopal Church Women. Of Mrs. Lyles' 13 children and grandchildren, all 13 received Bachelor degrees from various universities. Eight of the 13 went on to earn additional degrees including five Doctorate degrees. Six of her fifteen female descendants have Elizabeth as part of their name. All four of her grandsons have a daughter with Elizabeth in their names. Elizabeth is survived by her children, William M. Lyles and his wife Anne of Fresno, Gerald V. Lyles and his wife Nanette of Fresno, and Mary Elizabeth Higuera and her husband Joseph of Palm Desert; ten grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, beloved stepgrandchildren and stepgreat-grandchildren, brother-in-law, John M. Lyles and his wife Ruth of Fresno; and sister-in-law, Mary Lyles of Carmichael, California.