We miss you so Uncle Doyle!

It hardly seems possible but 14 years ago on March 23, our family lost our dearest uncle, Doyle Miller Wyant.  Here is a eulogy that I shared on behalf of the Wyant cousins who loved him so dearly and still miss him 14 years later. Sue Ann and Rhonda, we were so blessed to have your dad in our lives and he still lives in our hearts.  Melinda and the cousins

Wyant Stairsteps:  Duane, Doyle, Dick, Denny

A TRIBUTE FROM THE WYANT COUSINS

From the time we were children and throughout each of our lives, we have always known that there was something very special and unique about Uncle Doyle.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Miller's ranch in Colorado

He had something very extraordinary and magnetic that made our parents and grandparents smile and caused them to get excited with the thought and anticipation that he might be "showing up."  The words, "Doyle's coming" were enough to elevate the excitement of any normal family get-together to one that was much more than ordinary.  He rarely brought gifts or presents.  He didn't have to.  His gifts were his energy, his ear-to-ear grin, his contagious chuckle that easily swelled into a full blown belly laugh, and his repertoire of "stories."  He had the gift of lighting up a room with his presence. 

Hoosier Hysteria in Monroe City, IN

Dwight and Doyle, Grandma, Diane and Grandpa

At Grandpa's Phillips 66 Gas Station in Monroe City

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Why is Duane the king of this picture?

Relaxing on a summer's night

He loved the element of surprise.  We never knew what he was going to do or when he might pop onto the scene in person or on the telephone.  Once when he planned o surprise Grandma and Grandpa Wyant with a visit, he got so excited that he nearly gave away his own surprise with the jingling of the change in his pockets, a habit that we often saw him display when he was excited about something.

The Girl he fell in love with - elegant even in a cow pasture

What a beauty - Mary Nell

Wedding Day!

Everyone in the family always looked forward to hearing "what Doyle was up to." He had a way of living his life with a spirit of adventure that inspired us all, made us laugh, and captivated our parents but also caused him to retell the story oer and over again as if its ownership had been passed on.  Doyle's stories became every one's stories an thy always included tales of his childhood antics.  There isn't a Wyant cousin around who doesn't love and remember the story of Uncle Doyle an the goat, the seeds, the lightening bugs and the frogs, or the things he used to say to the preacher.  Uncle Doyle enjoyed listening to the retelling of these tales as much as anyone else and the stories were always made even more special by watching his own enjoyment of the tale.  Just as the "punch line" would come, he might be caught rubbing the palms of his hands together, snapping his fingers or pacing back and forth while he laughed with everyone else.

Around 1958

In Alaska, Sue Ann is born

Baby Sue Ann

But in the midst of all of this storytelling was perhaps the most endearing quality Uncle Doyle possessed.  He always listened and he made you feel important even if you were no higher than his kneecaps.  He knew the art of how to ask questions and before you knew it, you were telling your own story.  He listened intently and he always seemed genuinely interested.  "Is that right?" seemed to become his own cue for assuring you of his interest, his concern and the attention he was giving you.  Months later he might ask you about something that was brought up in your story.  He might never have called you by your "real" name, opting instead for a name like "Babe," or "Horse," but he knew how to listen to you.  He made it a point to remember what was important in your life. 

Has Aunt Mary Nell had enough of the Wyant boy silliness?  She looks like she is sending a message to someone!

Happy 36th Birthday Uncle Doyle

The summer trip to Acoma. Uncle Doyle had so much fun teasing Betty about an imminent
 rainstorm and being stuck on the mesa.

Rhonda is born!

Visit to Indiana in the "El Camino"

At Dick and Betty's on 13th Street

Grandma and Grandpa Wyant's Anniversary

Special Family Times

The Doyle Wyants

Another Trip to Indiana 

At Dick and Betty's in Vincennes

Christmas

His genuine interest and concern for other people caused him to never know the meaning of the word "stranger." During his lifetime, he transformed many "strangers" into friends regardless of where he was.  Without a doubt, he touched many lives as much as he touched ours because of his talent and gift of being interest in other people, what they had to say and what they did in their lives.  He truly cared about people.

Doyle Wyant had a very special way of taking that down home Beech Hills vim and vigor for life and spreading it to such remote places as the Indian reservations in New Mexico, Arizona, and Alaska and even to far away countries like Korea.  Wherever he visited or lived, he undoubtedly touched many people's lives in ways that we will never know but surely will never be forgotten.  Just last summer, when Greg and I visited him in New Mexico, we were taking of tour of an Indian reservation when the tour guide and he finally made the connection at the end of the tour.  The tour guide, Orlando, knew there was something reminiscent and familiar about Uncle Doyle's voice and chuckle.  Overs thirty years earlier, Uncle Doyle had been Orlando's fourth grade teacher.  Orlando updated his old teacher with the story of his life and going on to college to become a teacher, inspired by a teacher that he loved, Doyle Wyant.

After Grandpa Wyant's funeral in October of 1978

The Wyant Siblings Together again

Dick and Doyle enjoying farm stories

There is a quote that says, "If you want to create a masterpiece, sometimes you have to color outside the lines,"  When this quote is read, Uncle Doyle immediately comes to mind.  He colored outside the lines for his entire life and he undoubtedly created a unique masterpiece that we were all privileged to enjoy and love.  The great thing about masterpieces is that they are never forgotten but only increase with the passage of time.   A masterpiece carries with it a promise that it will live on and continue to inspire those who know how to appreciate it's beauty.  Doyle Wyant would probably not consider his life a masterpiece and he would probably be embarrassed by the comparison but there ins no doubt in the mind of the Wyant cousins that everyone here today came to honor, remember and declare him as one - a masterpiece that we will all miss dearly.

"Tom-foolery" abounds in most instances

Visiting "Balinda" and twins, Ty and Ashley

This is a man who knew how to make children feel they were VIPs.
Hugs for Brittany

HAMLINE CHAPEL IN THE BEECH HILLS
SITE OF FAMILY REUNIONS AND FINAL RESTING PLACE OF
UNCLE DOYLE AND SO MANY OTHER WYANTS

 

RHONDA, AUNT MARY NELL AND UNCLE DOYLE 

DOYLE MILLER WYANT

BELOVED SON, BROTHER, FATHER, HUSBAND, UNCLE, FRIEND AND SO MUCH MORE.

SO LOVED BY SO MANY.