Lyle Harvey McMindes

1932 - 2026

Lyle Harvey McMindes

February 12, 1932 - January 22, 2026

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. Burial of ashes will also take place later in the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island with military honors provided by U.S. Army and United Veterans Honor Guard.

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 (Harvey) McMindes. Lyle's early schooling was in North Loup. In 1942 his family moved to Grand Island. He attended Dodge School, Barr and graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1950.

Lyle had two years of college at Kearney State College before being inducted into the U.S. Army in June of 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 a servant to his beloved cats.

Lyle remained close to his high school and college friends as well as other veterans who served in Korea. He was blessed to have many friends, particularly at the golf course, Vets Club, and the racetrack 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 the famous sports figures, Buck O'Neil and Jesse Owens.

Survivors include his wife, Jean; children, Michele Francis of Springfield, MO, Shawn "Tim" Dunnagan of Bozeman, MT, Michael (Crissy) McMindes of Omaha and 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 Lyle admired.