Well, Earl, you sure didn't get cheated

If Purple Hearts were awarded for every time a person made others’ lives appreciably better, Earl Hyde Jr.’s coffin would be blanketed 3 inches thick.

As it is, Hyde leaves this world with just one. But, yes, that’s one more than the vast majority of humanity will ever earn.

Hyde has been written up several times in this newspaper in recent years. One of the best articles, by Ralph Bartholdt, was published in August 2018, when Earl celebrated his 100th birthday with military honors and pineapple upside-down cake at the Kroc Center. The final chapter appears in today’s paper. It’s Earl’s obituary, penned by the great man’s son, Skip.

We think you owe it to Earl, to Skip and to this great nation to read about the decorated veteran, who received a Bronze Star to go with his Purple Heart. We think you’ll salute Earl, and smile.

At 101, Earl Hyde Jr. fought the good fight longer than most mortals. An exemplary member of The Greatest Generation, Hyde personified what sociologist Glen Holl Elder Jr. wrote about in “Children of the Great Depression.” Elder tracked 167 people born around the time Earl Hyde made his grand entrance and concluded that they “fared unusually well in their adult years.” The hardships of the Great Depression, Elder wrote, endowed these individuals “with an ability to know how to survive and make do and solve problems.”

When you read Skip’s tribute to his dad, those words will spring to life.

Earl Hyde always set the bar high — and usually cleared it with room to spare. He was a World War II hero, an outstanding engineer, a fearless pilot, a latent and fairly astonishing entrepreneur, a craftsman, and maybe most importantly, a good husband and great father. Testament to that last point is Earl’s progeny, Earl III — better known as Skip — who followed his dad’s winged ways by becoming a fighter pilot himself.

While most of us would be overjoyed to eclipse the century mark, Earl aimed higher still, which should surprise nobody.

In his August 2018 article, Ralph Bartholdt gleaned this gem from Hyde:

His next goal is to be the oldest living World War II veteran.

“I myself don’t think it will be a problem,” he said.

Hyde was shooting for 107 years. Instead, he went one better.

Around here, Earl Hyde Jr. gained immortality.