A brother dead

and brothers mourning

Fill the heart

with grief today,

And the earnest

grasp fraternal;

Speaks, “a dear one

passed away.”

Yes, no longer

we shall greet thee

In the halls of DKE,

Yet thy name

in sweet remembrance

Graven on

our hearts will be.

We have parted,

Brother, parted,

As we trust, to meet again,

In a full unbroken circle,

Free from sorrow,

grief and pain.

John Edward Kyle, Jr., Zeta Zeta '36

The well respected John Edward Kyle passed away peacefully at 4:00 PM Saturday, June 25, 2005, at his home in Morgan City.  Memorial service will be held at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium at 1:00 PM Thursday, June 30 followed by a reception.  Kyle's remains were cremated and burial service will be held Saturday, July 2, in New Iberia.  The Rev. Roy Mellish, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church will deliver the memorial service to be followed by the reception to honor Ed's life and many accomplishments.  

He is survived by a sister, Barbara Kyle of New Iberia; eight nieces and nephews; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.  He was preceded in death by two sisters, Virginia Kyle Hine and Katherine McKerral Kyle.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the U. S. Coast Guard Foundation Scholarship Fund or to Trinity Episcopal Church, c/o Port of Morgan City, P. O. Box 1460, Morgan City, LA 70381-1460.  Cards 

to the family may be sent to Barbara Kyle P. O. Box 9733, New Iberia, LA 70562.  Kyle was born Oct. 19, 1917, in New Iberia to Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Kyle, Sr.  He attended public schools in Iberia Parish, graduating from high school in 1934.  From 1935 to 1941, he attended Sewanee Military Academy, Tulane University and LSU."  

He was initiated into Zeta Zeta chapter of DKE on March 8, 1936, along with Russell B. Long. " In 1941, he joined the U. S. Navy, serving with distinction as a naval officer in the Pacific Theater, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service.  He was a pioneer in the offshore oil field business from 1946 to 1963 and was manager of the family-owned Drilling Mud Co. in Berwick, La from its founding.  In 1955, he co-founded and served as the first chairman and CEO of Tidewater Marine, which designed and built the first oil fieldsupply boat in its classic configuration.  The basic design is still in use almost 50 years later."