Lyle A. Pinsonneault, 82, passed away on February 20, 2025 with his loving family by his side. Lyle was born on August 2, 1942 in Great Falls, MT to Edgar P. (Ted) and Helen (Lehman) Pinsonneault. He attended Great Falls High, graduating with the class of 1960.
In 1963, Lyle joined the Air National Guard to help start a life with his new wife, Virginia. They were married at the St. John’s Lutheran Church on December 19, 1964 and were happily married for 54 years. During that time, Lyle was a baker for IGA which mom, Sandra, and Brad would always go and have a donut on his first break every Saturday. County Market was his last stop where he took a week off to help Sandra and they called a meeting and said they were closing the doors. He worked for both of them for 46 years. He said when he took a week’s vacation he didn’t know he was retiring forever!
Lyle was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed going to Holter Lake with his wife and best friends, Jack and Bonnie Noble, where they would boat until the sun went down. Hunting and fishing also took up a great deal of Lyle’s time. He was a professional elk hunter and dragger. Lyle was out at the lake or deep in the woods every free chance he had brushing up on his skills. Nothing compared to being surrounded by the serenity that nature provided, especially on his frequent camping trips.
However, the quiet only lasts so long when you have grandchildren. Lyle and Virginia absolutely adored their family. The Annual Easter egg hunt at the Pinsonneault house was always a hit with the grandkids. Lyle also loved taking his family to Essex to go huckleberry picking every August. While we were picking huckleberry, he would have dinner in his Dutch ovens and a desert on top. As he would always say, “You can’t put a price on fun.”
Lyle’s creativity knew no bounds. He had a good eye for photography, winning multiple awards for his wildlife photo collection. He also built his own fly rods, made stained glass, woodwork projects, beautiful tile work, and dabbled in Yogo sapphire mining. He was a man of many talents and few worries in life. One of Lyle’s favorite phrases was “We’re not building a piano”. He was always ready for an adventure and his family will surely relish in the legacy that he leaves behind.
Lyle is survived by his children, Sandra L. (Craig) Carns and Bradley L. (Roxy) Pinsonneault, both of Great Falls, MT; his sisters, Marlene Fowler and Beverly Tiffany; his grandchildren, Colton Scharberg, Kyler Scharberg, Beau Carns, Alexandria Lewis, Tucker Cook, and Dalton Cook; as well as seven great grandchildren.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
