Lyle H. Wadell

A lifetime of learning, stewardship of the land, and volunteering.

Dr. Lyle Harry Wadell, Ph.D., age 92, passed March 14, 2026 at his home in Lansing, NY. He lived a life of character doing the things that needed doing.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Mary (Umstattd) Wadell; his first wife Mary Victoria "Vicki" (née Glennon, formerly Wadell) Schario; his brother Charles Arthur; and his sister Marilyn Lou Clark.

He is survived by his second wife Kathleen Ann (Baty) Wadell; his sisters, Betty Hallead and Janice Jean Yallup (Dave); his children, Brian Charles (Valerie), Aaron Lyle (Grace), Kevin Robert (Shawn), Joan Louise Melvin (Parker), and Jean Mary Morrison (Tom); his grandchildren, Marcus (Christina), Kelsey Pinette (Joshua), Bethany Freeman (Jubal), Rae Sterling (Thomas), Alex, Christina Morrison, Sophia Reilly (Ryan), Kyle, Johnna Taylor (Nathan), Claire Melvin, Samuel Morrison, George, Hailey Grace, Eliza, and Chastity Rose Morrison; and seven great-grandchildren. In his later years, his faithful and beloved cat Tiger gave him great comfort.

Lyle was born at home in Elsie, Michigan to parents Harry and Mary on the family dairy farm. Lyle was the eldest of five children. An excellent student at his one room schoolhouse, Lyle graduated early as Valedictorian of his class. He was encouraged by his mother to attend college. He graduated from Michigan State University and earned his Ph.D. at Iowa State University. In college he played the tuba in marching band, was on the gymnastics team, and washed a lot of dishes. His early experiences formed the foundation of his lifetime of learning, tending the land, and volunteering in his community.

As one of the first of his generation to use a computer, he landed a job in 1959 at Cornell University building their first computer lab. The lab supported researchers working with dairy records to improve dairy farm productivity with statistical data analysis. Analyzing the farm records of half a million cows from around the country, the lab enabled U.S. farmers to breed the most productive dairy herds in the world. He served on the team that planned Cornell’s first administrative computer system. He received the Cornell Chancellor’s award (previously a faculty-only award). His career saw the rise of the mainframe computer and the ultimate takeover by personal computers.

In Lansing, Lyle slept with zip-up boots by his bed and the fire radio turned on so he could respond to his neighbor’s emergencies as a fire fighter, as an EMT Level 3, and eventually as the Director of EMTs—directly and indirectly saving many lives. He taught EMTs at Tompkins Cortland Community College for 16 years.

In 1992, Lyle married Kathleen culminating a courtship on the square dance floor. Kathleen filled an empty spot, bringing new joy and spirit to his days.

There is so much to say about Lyle’s busy volunteer life—Lions’ Club, serving pancakes and chicken barbecue, working at the carnival, building playgrounds at the park, building sets for the high school, sponsoring college scholarships, sorting books at the Lansing Methodist church, building and maintaining the library and town web sites, building raised garden beds with his wife Kathleen--the list goes on. Lyle and Kathleen were a team in life and they both recognized the opportunity to create a library in the old town hall—it would just take some elbow grease and friends. Lyle’s years of Lansing volunteering were recognized in 2024 with the dedication of the library community room in his honor.

Life at home was simple--going to kids sports events, mowing the lawn, planting and harvesting a large garden, sleeping through football games on TV, and reading mystery books with Tiger on his lap.

There will be a private family burial at Ludlowville Pine Grove Cemetery. A Celebration of Life and ice cream social for all who knew him will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the North Lansing Fire Station 4, 1189 Auburn Road, Lansing.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in his memory to Tompkins County SPCA or Lansing Community Library.