John O. Bye

John O. Bye, 98, of Moorhead, MN, passed away on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at home under the care of family and Hospice of the Red River Valley. John was born January 24, 1925 to Arnt and Oline (Thompson) Bye in Fargo, ND. He attended elementary school in Rustad, MN, and graduated from Moorhead High School. Following high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in San Francisco, CA. Part of his duties were to decommission the naval submarines. After the Navy, John attended college at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, to further his education in agriculture. During that time, he enjoyed driving a tour bus across Yellowstone National Park.  After college, John joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955. He was an electronics Technician who helped NATO install the NATO microwave towers. He served in Germany at which time he married Mayme Pluhar. As a veteran herself, they were stationed in several countries and states across the U.S. Together they returned to operate the family farm near Rustad and raised their family. John joined the Air National Guard and was a proud member of the 119th Fighter Wing of the Happy Hooligans. He retired from the Air Guard in 1985.

Over the years, John enjoyed owning and piloting two different planes, was an avid skier, and built a tubing hill on the family farm with an electric tow rope. He was a member of the Sons of Norway, was a champion ballroom and square dancer, and loved playing his guitar, harmonica and accordion. 

John is survived by his children, Carolyn (Mike) Handlos, William “Bill” Bye, and Ken (Tina) Bye; grandchildren, Kristen (Jaden) Wagner, Channa Erickson, Kenneth (Meghan) Bye Jr., Alaina Bye, Vanessa Kyrobie-Hadley, and Angela Kyrobie; great-grandchildren, Summer Wagner, Greyson Bye, Camden Bye, Spencer Carroll, and Skyler and Kora Kyrobie-Hadley.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mayme; his parents, Arnt and Oline; and son, Dean Cody Kyrobie.