Lyle Tobin

Lyle W. Tobin, age 93, of Gary, S.D., passed away Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at his home on Lake Cochrane. A memorial service took place January 19, at the First Presbyterian Church in Canby, Minn. Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Canby was entrusted with the arrangements.
Lyle Wesley Tobin was born May 13, 1932, to Charles J. and Genevieve Gianella Tobin in a farmhouse near Langford, S.D. When the family later moved to Waubay, S.D, Lyle and his brothers discovered a lifelong love of the outdoors. They spent their boyhood hunting and fishing, often walking to school with their shotguns, storing them in the back of the classroom, and heading out again to hunt on the way home. Lyle attended Waubay High School and graduated in 1950.
He went on to Northern State Teacher’s College in Aberdeen, S.D., where a summer program qualified him to teach country school in Ortley, S.D., grades fifth - eighth. While there, he started a boys basketball team, which remained one of his proud early accomplishments. Returning to Northern the following year, he met the love of his life, Carol Birdseye, in 1952. During his second year of college, Lyle was drafted and entered the United States Navy in April 1953. He and Carol were married on Dec. 5, 1953, beginning a lifelong partnership built on love, teamwork, and adventure. Lyle served aboard the USS Leyte as a radar man, and Carol joined him as they made a home together in Boston and Rhode Island. He was honorably discharged in the spring of 1955.
After his discharge, they moved to Anoka, Minn., where Lyle worked as a draftsman for Honeywell, and their first son, Terry, was born. Wanting to complete his education, Lyle and Carol returned to Aberdeen in 1956 so he could finish his degree. Their second son, Tom, arrived that November, and Lyle proudly graduated in the spring of 1957.
Later that year, the family moved to Ortonville, Minn., where Lyle began teaching industrial arts and agriculture at Ortonville High School. They lived on Big Stone Lake, a place that quickly became a treasured part of their lives, especially for fishing with the boys. Their third son, Tim, was born in 1959. During these years, Lyle worked toward, and received, his master’s degree in Educational Administration. He was active in Toastmasters, the Masonic Lodge, and the Methodist Church. He gardened enthusiastically, raised boxer puppies, geese and chickens, kept bees, and spent summers adjusting crop hail insurance claims. In 1960, with determination and skill, Lyle built a family home overlooking Big Stone Lake with the help of Carol and three little helpers at his side. Their daughter, Nancy, completed the family in 1963.
In 1964, Lyle became principal of Ortonville Junior High School. In 1967, the family moved to Canby, where he served as Canby High School principal for 20 years. Always entrepreneurial and community-minded, Lyle and Carol opened Cobblers’ Corner in 1973, a family shoe store that later expanded to include clothing in Canby and Madison, Minn. They also opened the Etcetera Shop, offering gifts, books, and records—a warm and welcoming place in town.
Still drawn to their beloved lake life, Lyle and Carol purchased a cabin on Big Stone Lake and later a cabin on Lake Cochrane near Gary. Lyle remained very active, serving with the Shriners, Canby Presbyterian Church and Canby Rotary, achieving many years of perfect attendance, along with working in Boy Scout leadership. He was also a member of the Gary American Legion and served on the Clear Lake, S.D., school board. He loved woodworking and gunsmithing and was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. His garden was a source of pride, joy, and generosity, and neighbors and friends were often blessed with its bounty. Hunting and fishing remained lifelong passions, and he greatly enjoyed memorable trips to Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon and Washington. Lyle and Carol also cherished their winter trips to Mazatlán and many travels throughout the United States and abroad.
Lyle cared deeply about Lake Cochrane and was actively involved in the Lake Cochrane Improvement Association. He was always working to preserve the lake’s purity and better the Lake Cochrane community. In 1991, Lyle and Carol built and moved into their first year-round home on the lake. During retirement, they worked together selling school assembly programs across Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. Lyle also started LT Equipment, a school equipment company. He and Carol called on many schools throughout the region. They later began spending winters in Texas, enjoying 16 wonderful seasons there. Eventually, they built a smaller home on Lake Cochrane, moving into it in 2002, where they continued to live and build memories together.
Lyle is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, Carol; his children: Terry (Kathy) Tobin of Portland, Oregon; Tom Tobin of Lake Cochrane, South Dakota; Tim (Stefanie) Tobin of Shorewood, Minnesota; and Nancy (Mark) Gorder of Canby. He is deeply loved by his grandchildren: Amy Tobin and Rylan; Scott (Susanna) Tobin, Sawyer and Susie; Thalia (Corey) Rothrock, Beckett, Broderick and Elyce; Macklin (Bre) Tobin; Genevieve Cloquet; Elliot (Eva) Tobin; Elizabeth (Tony) Reiss, Dot and Josephine; and Tony (Elizabeth) Gorder and Florence. He is also survived by his brother, Don (Joanne); sister-in-law, Virginia Tobin; sister-in-law, Bonnie Caywood; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Charles (Harriett) Tobin and Leon Tobin.