Lyle Dean Feisel

1935 - 2025

Lyle Dean Feisel

October 16, 1935 - November 5, 2025

Lyle Dean Feisel passed away on November 5, 2025 in Chestertown, Md. at the age of 90.

Lyle was born on October 16, 1935, in Tama, Iowa, to Clyde and Clara (Ehlers) Feisel. He attended a one-room elementary school and graduated from Tama High School. Assisted by the GI Bill, he earned a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and doctorate in electrical engineering from Iowa State University in 1961, 1963, and 1964. He served in the US Navy from 1954 to 1958.

Lyle met Dorothy Evelyn Stadsvold of Exira, Iowa, during his freshman year of college, and they were married in Ames on June 15, 1957. Having grown up in loving, supportive families, Lyle and Dorothy worked hard to create the same for their three children and two grandchildren.

Lyle began his long career in academia at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City, SD, where he served as professor and department head. In 1983, he moved to Binghamton, N.Y., where he was the founding dean of the new Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering at SUNY Binghamton. Lyle was an active member of professional societies and held top leadership roles in both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Throughout his career, Lyle was a dedicated teacher and mentor and actively pursued improved educational methods to benefit engineering students. He was also a gifted writer; his columns for The Bent magazine were compiled into the book Lyle's Laws.

Lyle and Dorothy retired to St. Michaels, Md., and subsequently moved to the Heron Point retirement community in Chestertown, MD, in 2014, where they made many new friends and contributed to various projects. Throughout his life, Lyle enjoyed the outdoors: hiking, fishing, hunting, and sailing were his passions. He was a skilled woodworker, creating treasured small figures and pieces of furniture for family and friends. Lyle and Dorothy loved the adventure of travel, including a year spent with their young family in Taiwan in 1969-70, and a 4-month trek around the world in 1995. In Chestertown, Lyle served on the board of the Sultana Education Foundation, which provides hands-on educational opportunities promoting stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay.

Lyle is lovingly remembered by his wife, Dorothy Feisel; and his three children, Patricia (and husband Greg) Cargill of West Chester, Ohio, Margaret (and husband Donald) Craig of Lexington, Mass., and Kenneth Feisel (and husband Derek Nguyen) of Brooklyn, N.Y.; as well as his two beloved grandchildren, Allison Cargill and Jeffrey (and wife Lauren) Cargill, both of Seattle, Wash., and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his four brothers and two sisters.

A memorial service will be held at Heron Point in Chestertown on November 21. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, contributions can be made to the Sultana Education.