Joseph Wilson Lyle, Jr.

“Poor and Hungry, Sad and Lonely No More”

Joseph Wilson Lyle Jr. died Friday, March 28th, 2025. He was 71 years old.

Born on January 7th, 1954 in Memphis, Tennessee, Joe moved east to the coast of North Carolina before settling down in the beloved mountains of western North Carolina.

His decades of dedicated work in the lumber business gave him a sharp eye for craftsmanship and led him to build his one-of-a-kind and ironically named home, Homeless Hill, which was filled with more wood than you would believe, more ottomans than there were legs for those ottomans to hold up, and some very weird but very cool but very unnecessary objects he would always buy at any and every yard sale he just had to stop at. These were just the types of things that made his home the special and beautiful place that captured exactly how unique a person Joe was.

Joe lived a very good life and was a friend to all. He never seemed to meet a stranger no matter where he went. He was always up for an adventure, whether it was learning to snowboard when he was 40, hiking 30 miles in one day on the Appalachian Trail when he was 61, or mountain biking for the first time when he was almost 70.

He always seemed to be genuinely curious about the world around him and notice otherwise overlooked details, which was sometimes only slightly endearing if you were just trying to buy a sweater and he’s learning about the architectural history of the building, or you were just out to dinner and lord have mercy if the bill was a little off.

Joe was always willing to give–his time, his attention, his resources–to friends and loved ones. Even if he didn’t know exactly what to say or do, he would always be there with a shrug and an “It’ll all work out.”

Joe is survived by his four children, Amber Lyle Cartwright, Joshua Christian Lyle (Amanda), Anne Jessica Lyle (Geoff), and Joseph Mason Lyle (Beth) and “too damn many to count” grandchildren (there are 11).

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Wilson Lyle Sr. and Bobby Joan Bledsoe Lyle; his brother, Jack Robert Lyle; his sister, Nina Kimbel “Kim” Lyle Scott; and his grandmother, Nina Ferguson Bledsoe.

He most likely wanted everyone to know that their 99 cent birthday cards would still be fashionably late this year.

Joe will be missed much more than he could’ve known.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, 2025 at Beam Funeral Home in Marion, North Carolina with a celebration of life immediately following.