South Knoxville is in mourning for a beloved member of the community.
Daniel Monroe “Roe” Lyle, president of Woodlawn Cemetery Co., died unexpectedly on Friday, Sept. 15. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. today at New Prospect Presbyterian Church, 4920 Prospect Road, with final reflections to be shared after the visitation.
Graveside services are at 1 p.m. Thursday at Woodlawn Cemetery.
A lifelong South Knoxvillian, Lyle graduated with the last class of Young High School in 1976. He was known for his wide, engaging grin and exuberant, friendly personality. His obituary accurately stated that he “never met a stranger.”
When he bumped into friends while running errands, he would take time to talk and make them feel as though they were the most important part of his day. Facebook tributes that poured in as soon as news started spreading on Saturday described him as “one of the good guys,” “genuine” and “a spark plug for South Knoxville.”
He started working at Woodlawn Cemetery, his family’s business, at age 16 and served in leadership roles for more than 40 years. While holding the longest management tenure in the company’s history, he made sure that bereaved families were treated with the most empathetic care possible.
In his spare time, Lyle was a vigorous supporter of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club and the Urban Wilderness. The UW was literally in the backyard of the home he shared with Karen Fletcher, his partner of 17 years, and together they supported the expansion of bike trails, even envisioning and creating the Three Marys Loops.
Brian Hann, former president of AMBC, became their neighbor when he and his wife, Mary Beth Tugwell, bought adjoining property that had been in Fletcher’s family for generations. He shared this with KnoxTNToday:
“As a friend and neighbor, I miss Roe. Roe would be there when you needed help or just be silently in the background working or waiting for direction. Oftentimes, I would come home from work to walk our dogs, and all the trails on our property would be mowed and cleared of debris. I knew that was the work of Karen and Roe (I could follow the manicured pathways to their backyard). Before I could get a chance to thank him for that, he would be out volunteering at an AMBC workday hauling lumber or doing some other task fit for a man half his age. Roe was truly an amazing person who loved his neighbors, his partner, Karen, his animals and his community. I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
Lyle was a member and elder of New Prospect Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association and had served on the group’s board of governors.
He is survived by his mother, Elizabeth Ford Lyle; his partner, Karen Fletcher; his sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Dale Aderholt; his aunt, Ruth Adams; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Arrangements are by Berry Funeral Home, 3704 Chapman Highway. Online condolences may be offered at berryfuneralhome.com.
Memorials may be made to the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club at ambc-sorba.org or Legacy Parks Foundation to benefit the Urban Wilderness, 900 Volunteer Landing Lane, Knoxville, TN 37915.