Lyle Niswander Obituary

Lyle Theodore Niswander

Lyle Theodore Niswander, of Indialantic, Florida, passed away at home Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at the age of 95. As he wrote in the notes he prepared ahead for his obituary, the cause of his death was the completion of his life.

Lyle was a testament to the strength of commitment, being blessed with 72 years of marriage to Carol Ruth Hoy, who preceded him in death March 5, 2023. Also preceding him in death are his parents; his sister Elaine; his brother Wayne; and his son, Dennis E. Niswander.

Surviving are his sister, Patricia Ann Weinandy of Bowling Green; daughters, Diane E. Westerink (Joannes) of South Bend, Indiana, Denise A. Nickerson (Alfred) of Goffstown, New Hampshire; and four grandchildren, Justen Stevenson (Danielle Towne) of Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Lee Westerink (Caitlyn Jarvis), Hans Westerink (Megan Stevens), and Gabby Kitt (Hunter Stevens) of South Bend, Indiana.

Lyle was born to Gladys and Ira Niswander in Findlay, December 11, 1929. He attended Findlay schools, Bowling Green State University, USAF Institute, and RCA Institute. He was a Boy Scout and Air Scout leader, one of the first Air Scout Aces in the country. He entered USAF in 1950, during the Korean War, and trained as an instructor in aircraft electronics, which led to a successful career in aerospace engineering and management. His employment included Chrysler Missile as a production engineer on the Redstone and Jupiter programs, at AVCO Lycoming as a project engineer on Titan, Atlas, and Minuteman Reentry programs, and General Electric as a project leader on the Apollo program, followed by a role as manager of GE's Boston Area Aerospace Business Development. He served as president of the Florida Chapter of the Society of American Value Engineers, president and co-founder of Paul Revere Chapter of Air Force Association, and president of New England Escadrille and WWII Warbirds. His awards include Air Force Association Medal of Merit, Air Force Association Jimmy Doolittle Fellow, Air Force Thunderbirds Recognition, Brevard County Junior Achievement Award, and he was nominated for Florida Today's Volunteer of the Year 2009. After retirement he volunteered with GE ELFUN Society and Junior Achievement, with special efforts for Genesis House.

If you asked Lyle how he saw his life, he would say that he felt very lucky. He was lucky to have lived a full and complete life, grateful for his parents, his upbringing, his wife, and family, lucky that he survived a number of illnesses and near misses during his military life. He felt lucky to be an engineer on so many exciting and successful rocket programs and marveled at how a small Depression-era boy who scrambled for a dollar could retire in a beautiful house with a pool and 100s of palm trees. He felt lucky to have traveled the world, to have climbed the pyramids and visited his ancestral roots in Switzerland. He was so proud of his children and grandchildren and would tell everyone about them. He felt lucky to have the resources and time to devote to his daylilies in Massachusetts and his palm trees in Florida. In his last years, he marveled at being able to follow weekly rocket launches off of Cape Canaveral and at the ability of the boosters coming back so precisely to land on the ship, something not dreamed of in his time as a rocket engineer.

If you asked anyone who knew him what word they would use to describe him, it would be generous. He was always thinking of others, putting others first, always offering help and advice to family, friends, and strangers, always thinking of small and large gifts to give, giving everything from cars and furniture and tools to loans and letters of recommendation, always wanting to help nurture or propel careers or opportunities for others, and always remembering to thank those who helped him along the way. He was a loving, giving, generous, and faithful son, husband, father, friend, and neighbor.

And we can't forget to mention his sense of humor. He always made us laugh and made boring situations fun, be it a long car ride or while waiting for a table at a restaurant, he would have jokes and little pranks. His family and friends all have so many stories of how he lit up situations with good fun.

Memorial contribu-tions can be made to Genesis House, Inc. Melbourne, Florida.

Memorial gatherings for Lyle and Carol will take place in Findlay Saturday, August 16, 2025, and in Indialantic, Florida, Sunday, December 7. Please contact Diane Westerink [email protected] or Denise Nickerson [email protected] for more details.