Ethel Owen Kyle

KYLE, Ethel Owen, 84, of 1600 Westbrook Ave., widow of James Weldon Kyle, died Thursday, April 18, 2013. She was preceded in death by her brother, William Haigh Owen III. She is survived by her two sons, William Charles Kyle and his wife, Debby and James Edward Kyle and his wife, Rebecca; one granddaughter, Sarah Katherine Kyle; one grandson, Aaron Davis Kyle; one sister, Mrs. Katherine Owen Davis and husband, John; and sister-in-law, Ann Beck Owen.

Born in Cumberland County, N.C., Mrs. Kyle attended Greensboro College before moving to Richmond in 1946 to study x-ray technology under Dr. Fred M. Hodges. In 1954, she left the medical profession to become a church secretary at First Baptist Church. Subsequently, she served the River Road Presbyterian, Ginter Park Baptist and Derbyshire Baptist congregations in that same capacity. She was a deacon at First Baptist Church and worked with the young people in that Sunday school for nearly 60 years. In partial retirement years, she returned to First Baptist Church for a short time to serve as a secretary for the In Touch Ministry, coordinating ministries to the sick and bereaved in the church and fostering fellowship in the congregation. In full retirement since June 1996, Mrs. Kyle volunteered in several capacities at Westminster Canterbury, Richmond, and as a Columbia and Bon Secours Hospice volunteer.

The family will receive friends at the Parham Chapel, Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd., from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 22, 2013. Funeral service will be held 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, 2013 in the sanctuary of Richmond's First Baptist Church, 2709 Monument Ave. Interment immediately following at Forest Lawn Cemetery. A memorial service for residents and staff of Westminster Canterbury, Richmond, will be held 11 a.m. Monday, April 29, 2013. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be designated to Richmond's First Baptist Church, Westminster Canterbury Foundation Annual Fellowship Fund or Bon Secours Hospice, www.bsvaf.org/supporthospice. www.woodyfuneralhome.com