Lyle Eugene Points

Lyle Eugene Points, age 71, of Donnelly, Idaho passed away on Easter Sunday, April 21st, 2019 at Mercy Medical Center of Sioux City, Iowa. 

A ‘Visitation / Service / Celebration of Life’ for Lyle will be held on Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 at the Hap and Florence Points Sleigh Ride Parking Lot on Points Ranch, located just a little way south of 13007 Farm to Market Road near Donnelly, Idaho.  Look for the gravel parking lot with big wood entry posts with a red sign that says ‘Sleigh Rides’.

As the family thought through various ideas, they thought of three traditional categories of funeral and remembrance.  One a Visitation, Two a Service, and Three a Celebration of Life.  They thought they would combine all three in a way that really felt like Lyle / Dad / Grandpa.  Some of his favorite things were being out with the team of draft horses, on the wagon, surrounded by family and friends just having a nice get-together and a nice visit.  So, their plans are to hook up the team of horses, load him on the wagon, and park next to the people loading ramp at the Hap and Florence Points Sleigh Ride Parking Lot and give him just what he would have wanted…a place to congregate and visit among friends and family.

The Service will be very informal, like an easy-going family reunion or laid-back social gathering.  Plan to come see Lyle and see friends and family you might not have seen for a while.  Have a good time and a good visit.  Come for five minutes or come for as long as you want…Lyle was always one of the last to leave the party, so this will be no exception!  Maybe a few tears, but hopefully a lot of laughter is just how Lyle would want it! 

The schedule for the ‘Visitation / Ceremony / Celebration of Life’ for Lyle will be:

1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Open Visitation of Lyle (with the team of horses) / Open Social Gathering

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. ‘Open Mic’ – Any and All are welcome to Share a Story, or a Sentiment, or Anything you would like to.  We, and Lyle, would really enjoy that!

3:30 – 4:00 p.m. – We will share some words of our own, and close with a Prayer Service.

Lyle, and family, would love to share this day with you!

One of Lyle’s biggest loves was of his parents’ Hap and Florence Points Sleigh Rides.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sleigh Rides at PO Box 53 Donnelly, Idaho 83615.  Rather than temporary flowers, these donations will go toward live plants to be planted in Lyle’s name and memory to enhance the elk habitat.

Lyle Eugene Points was born on Friday, September 19th, 1947 to Vernon E. and Florence M. (Stewart) Points in Council, Idaho.  He graduated from McCall-Donnelly High School in 1966, and then earned a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science in 1972 at the University of Idaho.  Lyle continued his education at the University of Idaho earning a Master’s Degree in Range Management in 1975.

Lyle was united in marriage to Anna Kathleen “Kathy” (Neely) Points on April 4th, 1970 in Moscow, Idaho.  To this union two children were born, Kelli and Scott.  They lived in Moscow, Idaho from 1970-1975, then Melville, Montana from 1975-1977, Twin Falls, Idaho from 1977-2016, then moved to Alta, Iowa in 2017.

Lyle worked at several jobs during his career as a Ruminant Nutritionist.  He started at Fairview Black Angus Cattle Ranch in Melville, Montana, then at Western Stockmen Supply in Twin Falls, Idaho, then at Allison Mills in Filer, Idaho, and retired from Points Ranch of Donnelly, Idaho as a ranch manager.  He ran Hap and Florence Points Sleigh Rides in Donnelly, Idaho from 1988-2017.

He was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity at the U of I, Foreman of a Hot Shot Sawyer Crew for the Payette National Forest and a board member of the Roseberry Irrigation District and the Valley Soil and Water Conservation District.  He enjoyed spending time with family, photography, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.  He was passionate about wildlife and loved working cattle, horses and horseback riding, driving teams of horses, reading about elk and wildlife, and guiding sleigh rides taking people to view wild elk.  Lyle cherished spending time with his family, especially one on one time with his children and grandchildren.  He enjoyed BBQ grilling, cooking outdoors and hosting holidays, family reunions, and get-togethers.  He also loved listening to good music of all types, going to the movie cinema, and watching movies and all types of sports (especially football) with a dynamic home theater entertainment environment.  Another favorite were bi-annual trips to Yellowstone in the fall during his birthday during the peak of the elk rut, and skiing and snowmobiling the park in the mystique and majesty of winter.  And always, and at all times, Lyle loved to visit with family and friends.

Lyle is survived by his wife Kathy of Alta, Iowa; daughter, Kelli and husband Mike Bartholomew of Alta, Iowa; son, Scott and wife Jessica Points of Donnelly, Idaho; grandchildren, Kade Lindback of St. Anthony, North Dakota, Jake Points of Donnelly, Idaho, Casey Points of Donnelly, Idaho, Kimber Bartholomew of Alta, Iowa; sisters, Arlene Griffiths and Elaine Nelson, both of Boise, Idaho.

He was preceded in death by his parents in 1988.

Online condolences may be left at www.mccallfunerals.com

Arrangements in care of McCall Funeral Home.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lyle Eugene Points, please visit our floral store.