Obituary of Lyle Pearson

Lyle Pearson, devoted husband and father, successful Treasure Valley businessman, and enthusiastic Bronco Booster, passed away on Sunday, June 17th in Boise. A longtime Idahoan, Lyle and his family moved to Twin Falls when Lyle was just four. Lyle, a talented student and athlete, lettered in football, basketball and track every year of high school and held the state long jump record. Lyle graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1944 then served in the Army Air Corps for two and a half years during World War II. After the war Lyle attended the University of Notre Dame on a football scholarship, graduating in 1950. He also received a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Reserve that same year. After college Lyle began a lifelong love affair with the car business. He worked for the Studebaker Corporation for 14 years, moving from South Bend, Indiana to Minneapolis, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. While working for Studebaker, which was the U.S. distributor for Mercedes-Benz at that time, Lyle signed up all of the original Mercedes-Benz dealers including the Portland, Oregon dealership—the oldest Mercedes-Benz dealership in the country. Lyle completed his tenure at Studebaker as Regional Manager of the Los Angeles Region in 1964. Lyle then joined Torginol Industries, a seamless floor covering and real estate development company headquartered in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where he served from 1964 through 1969 as General Manager then as President. Lyle married Agnes Shaw in San Francisco in 1951. The couple had two children, Cindy and Melissa, before divorcing in 1967. In 1969 Lyle married Marty King of Lakewood, California. The newlyweds and Marty's two children, Daniel and Pamela King, moved to Boise, fulfilling Lyle's dream of returning to Idaho. That December, another dream was realized when Lyle and Marty opened their first new car dealership, selling Mercedes-Benz and Volvo cars on Capital Boulevard in Boise. Over the years, Lyle grew the Lyle Pearson Company into the largest multi-line luxury car dealership in the region, selling the Acura, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo and Sprinter lines from his automotive complex in the Boise Auto Mall and the Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands from his dealership in Spokane, Washington. Along the way, Lyle received numerous honors for his tireless service to the automotive industry and to the community. He was named the 2011 TIME Dealer of the Year for Idaho, one of the most prestigious and highly coveted awards in the automotive industry. Lyle amassed a long and distinguished record of community service. Over the decades, he donated his time, talent, resources and vehicles to countless civic and charitable enterprises, ranging from the Boise Rescue Mission to BSU and U of I to the Idaho Make-a-Wish Foundation. Lyle had a passion for football, especially for Notre Dame football, his alma mater, and for Boise State Football. Lyle began purchasing season tickets and attending Bronco games soon after moving to Boise. He was an avid Bronco Booster, becoming a Coaches' Club member for both the football and basketball teams, and in recent years Lyle and Marty could be seen cheering at almost every home and away game, including the Bowl games. Surpassing even his love of football was Lyle's love of golf. Lyle played as much golf as running a business would allow and pursued his passion on courses across the country and the world. Lyle worked and played hard his entire life and earned the love and respect of his family as well as countless friends, employees, customers and industry and community members. Lyle never drank or smoked, but he always loved to gamble. He covered his bets for eternity when he accepted Jesus into his heart. Lyle was always a gentleman, was unfailingly kind, and was generous to a fault. He will be truly missed. Lyle was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Mabel Busby, his sister, Esta Faye Miracle, and his brother, Milo Pearson. He is survived by his sister, Dorlene Packard; his first wife, Agnes Pearson; his daughter Cindy Pearson and her husband Jerry Wilkinson; his daughter Melissa Pearson and her husband Thad Buchanan; his wife Marty Pearson and her children, Daniel King and his wife Shelly and Pamela Cross and her husband Jim Cross. Lyle is also survived by five grandchildren, two great grandchildren and many nephews, nieces and cousins. A celebration of Lyle's life will be held on Thursday, June 21st at 3:00 p.m. at the Hillcrest Country Club. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Bronco Athletic Association Scholarship Endowment Fund at 1910 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725.