Lyle James Ladefoged

Lyle was born on August 3, 1930 in Woodstock, IL to Jens and Florence Ladefoged. He graduated from Woodstock High School in 1949. After graduation, he joined the US Air Force, then married his beloved wife, Joan Loraine Heilman. They raised four sons; Robert Lyle, Jeffrey Jay, Joel Wayne, and Mark Allen.

Lyle was in the service for 22 years when he served in many locations; some of which were Texas, Lajes Field in the Azores, Missouri, Colorado, and Vietnam. He retired at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant at the USAF Academy. He was awarded many medals, citations, and ribbons in his Air Force career. After his time in the Air Force, he worked at Ford Aerospace as a Facilities Engineer up until full retirement (Meaning lots of golf!).

Lyle loved his family and was kind to everyone he met. He was always willing to help wherever he could, whether it be family, friends, neighbors, or even strangers. He was easy to know and easy to love. He had a passion for golf and even made three holes-in-one. He also had a passion for old cars. He owned and restored many cars, his favorite being a 1938 Pontiac, which he kept for 40 years. This particular passion was passed on to his sons.

Lyle was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 70 years, Joan, as well as his father Jens, mother Florence, and sister Annabelle. He is survived by his four sons, seven grandkids, six great grandkids, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A service will be held on December 21, 2022 at 10:00 am followed by a reception at Swan-Law Funeral Directors, 501 N Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Veterans of Foreign Wars organizations.