Lyle Wendell Raty

Lyle Wendell Raty passed peacefully at home on December 1, 2021. Lyle was born in Idaho to Steve and Oma Raty on April 22, 1929. In 1933, at Lyle’s age of four, the Raty family of five brothers and one sister moved to Georgetown, California to establish a ranch in the Meadowbrook area. Steve Raty worked in the area gold mines while the children tended the ranch. Oma was a homemaker and Lyle would help her around the house, getting in wood for the cookstove and he would work alongside his father on the ranch when Steve wasn’t working the mines. Lyle attended the one room Garden Valley School until his late teens and started work at Kelsey Lumber. He later worked for Georgetown Lumber. During the off season he had his own business cutting and selling firewood, splitting it and delivering to local clients. He eventually worked for the U.S. Forest Service at the Georgetown Ranger Unit where he worked in fire control and recreation. He retired after 30 years with many awards and accolades. He loved the outdoors and his dogwood trees. He had many hobbies a few of which were bottle digging, gold panning and after retirement he became Georgetown’s Mr. Fix it. People would bring mowers, weed eaters, chainsaws, washers and dryers to him for repair. He enjoyed fixing things and helping people and was known as a “backyard mechanic” as he always kept the family’s cars serviced and repaired. Lyle loved to entertain his friends and family with bits of songs and sayings from the past and inventing metal puzzles and button spin toys for the kids. Lyle married Patricia Dougherty in 1950 and they would raise five children. Lyle is preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 60 years, Patricia and five brothers, one daughter-in-law and one grandson. He is survived by his sister Joyce, children Carla, Nora, Jess, Janell and Charmen and their spouses, 16 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was a very loving Brother, Husband, Father, Uncle and Friend. He is dearly missed by all. Lyle’s motto in life was “most people eat to live but I live to eat”. He loved food and was not picky. If he saw you in a restaurant, he would greet you by saying “Have a bite for me….”.

A memorial service will be planned at a later date. In lieu of a gathering at this time, we invite you to leave a memory you may have or words you would like to share at the Dignity Memorial link at:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/placerville-ca/lyle-raty-10472118f

or the Lyle Raty family, P.O. Box 195, Georgetown, CA 95634

If you’re out and about enjoying your favorite meal “Have a bite for Lyle”.

Arrangements are provided by Chapel of the Pines, Placerville, CA (503) 622-3813