Thomas N. Kyle

His Elkhart Texas childhood was spent somewhere between the neighborhood of Tom Sawyer and Norman Rockwell growing up on the family farm in Elkhart. He graduated from Elkhart High School and enrolled at Baylor University.

The summer after his freshman year at Baylor, he went to visit two brothers in Tahlequah Oklahoma. He liked the place. He liked the people. His older brother Lynn was a student at Northeastern State College and encouraged Tom to “come on up”! Tom transferred to Northeastern where he met and became engaged to Ann Rainwater. Seeing that war was inevitable he volunteered for the Army Air Corps pilot training program. During flight training, it was discovered that he had depth perception problems which prevented him from continuing his training and he was given his discharge. He promptly volunteered for the U.S. Navy. He was later selected for training at the Lakehurst, New Jersey Navy Meteorology School.

While on leave in 1942, he and Ann got married. Their daughter, Judith, was born just over a year later. He was ordered to the South Pacific where he served as a meteorologist for the Pacific fleet. He received his honorable discharge in September1945 and completed his degree in 1946 on the GI bill.

He taught math at Stigler Oklahoma High School for one year and then became superintendent of schools at Bethel, Texas. Their son, Terry, was born in 1948. Thomas was offered a position with the rapidly expanding National Weather Service in 1949. He was assigned to the Oklahoma City office where he spent the next thirty-five years as forecaster, lead forecaster and radar meteorologist. He issued the first tornado warning to the public in Oklahoma in 1954. His work saved countless lives.

His beloved Ann died in 2008. He spent the next six years patiently waiting to join her. He died January 17, 2015.

He is survived by son Terry and his fiancée Cindy Birdsong; daughter Judith Craig and her husband Kenneth; grandchildren Jonathan Craig; Kristen Moon and her husband Chris; Brian Kyle and his wife Wendy; and great grandchildren River Craig, Seth and Mackenzie Moon, and Zoe Kyle. Their families and all his extended family will miss him deeply. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made to the Shriners Hospital or Salvation Army.

Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, January 22, at Bill Merritt Funeral Service, 6201 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK. Graveside services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 24, at Pilgrim Cemetery in Elkhart, Texas.