Charles Pyle Sr.

CHARLES PYLE SR.

Cedar Rapids

Charles Robert Pyle Sr., 93, passed away Jan. 1, 2017, at a hospital in Bentonville, Ark., after a brief illness.

He was a resident at Highlands of NWA Rehab and Nursing Center in Rogers since August 2015, but his lifelong home was Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

He was born May 31, 1923, in Clarion, Iowa, to George W. and Sylvia (Iversen) Pyle. He graduated from Clarion High and attended a local junior college. He met and married Hope Magee in 1942 and they were married for 68 years before Hope passed away.

Charles was a World War II veteran, serving in the Navy as a radio technician for planes attached to aircraft carriers, such as the USS Monterrey and the USS Saratoga. The technical education he received with the Navy at Texas A & M later led him into his own business.

He worked in the early years in insurance sales and management, selling encyclopedias, and then started Omega Communications in Cedar Rapids.

His passions included family, fishing, gardening and Bible study, which led to the birth of Cedar Valley Bible Church becoming a reality. Charles and Hope loved their church family and serving and working there to help further the Gospel of Christ.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Hope; siblings, James and Beverly (infants), as well as Neil J. Pyle of Des Moines and Aletha Armatis of Lexington, Ky.

He is survived by a son, Charles R. Pyle Jr. (Virginia) of Michigan Center, Mich.; a daughter, Jo Ellyn Bach (Robert Chip) of Bentonville, Ark.; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held at Cedar Valley Bible Church in Cedar Rapids at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to the Charles and Hope Pyle Scholarship Fund at the church, 3636 Cottage Grove Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.

Arrangements are under the care of Rollins Funeral Home of Rogers, Ark. www.rollinsfuneral.com