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Molly Ellen Kyle

Molly Ellen Kyle, a native of Parsons, Kan. who raised her two children in Gering, Neb., and worked in community arts and theater groups for much of her life, died Jan. 10, 2019, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where she lived for 23 years with her husband, Rod Kyle.

They had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and her 73rd birthday two weeks earlier.

Molly loved taking pictures, reading true-crime novels, lounging with her cat, Jenna and hunting for garage sale deals. The daughter of a Kansas railroad yardmaster, she was raised an Irish Catholic and attended the same Catholic school from kindergarten through high school.

Rod and Molly started dating as teenagers and married in 1968 after they both graduated from college. Molly went to Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., where she majored in English. Rod is the oldest of seven siblings, and one of six brothers. Molly grew up as an only child.

“She liked my dad’s family because it was big and loud and exciting,” recalled Molly’s daughter, Amy Kyle Bishop, who grew up in Gering with her brother, Dylan Kyle.

Molly’s relationship with Rod was the envy of her friends. They faced difficult situations together with humor and laughter. As they approached their 50th wedding anniversary, Molly said the key was not just that she still loved Rod, but that she still liked him after so many years.

“They just fit,” said Joyce (Marks) Wilkerson, Molly’s friend since kindergarten at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Parsons. Joyce and Molly remained close throughout their lives, and referred to each other as sisters.

A skilled photographer with a discerning eye for antiques and second-hand art, Molly was an adept negotiator at neighborhood garage sale when she found an item she liked.

She served as office manager for the West Nebraska Art Center in Scottsbluff, Neb., and later for the Lake City Playhouse in Coeur d’Alene.

Molly Ellen McCormick was born on Dec. 29, 1945, in Parsons, Kan., to Arthur and Alice McCormick. Her mom was a homemaker and her dad was a yardmaster on the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad, aka The Katy Railroad.

She is survived by her husband, Rod Kyle of Coeur d’Alene; son, Dylan Kyle, his wife, Jennifer and their sons, Lucas and Jacob of Homestead, Fla.; and daughter, Amy Kyle Bishop of Seattle, Wash., her husband, Todd and their daughter, Maggie.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent De Paul of North Idaho or the Kootenai Humane Society. Plans for a celebration of Molly’s life are pending. Bell Tower Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.