Lyle Harold Tempus

TEMPUS, MARTIN, ANGLE

Posted By: diane (email)
Date: 12/2/2021 at 18:49:09

Lyle Harold Tempus, 94, of Aurora, Iowa, died October 5, 2017 at Buchanan County Health Center in Independence, Iowa. He previously was a resident at Prairie Hills Assisted Living in Independence, IA, from April 2015 until his fall on September 29, 2017.

Lyle was born on October 4, 1923, at his Grandpa Rueber’s farm in rural Fayette county, to Carl H. and Esther C. (Reuber) Tempus. He attended Buchanan County country schools through the eighth grade. After his schooling, he began farming with his dad.

He was united in marriage to Anna Sevilla Martin at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA on February 14, 1946. To this union were born seven children: Charles, Peggy, Donald, Paul, David, Jerry, and Douglas. In 1947, he and Sevilla purchased the home farm, where they raised cows, pigs, chickens, and grew corn and beans. After Lyle finished tiling his own farm, he founded Lyle Tempus & Son Excavating. He was one of the first farmers in Buchanan County to install drainage systems. During his working years, Lyle traveled to Egypt twice to teach the locals about drainage systems. Lyle did draining contract work for area farmers for over 45 years before retiring in 1995.

Besides his love of agriculture and farming, Pappy, as his grandchildren fondly called him, also enjoyed cooking. Family traditions included preparing turkey and duck at Thanksgiving, as well as oyster stew, peanut brittle, cookies and fruit cake at Christmas. Sunday nights were spent popping popcorn over the stove and enjoying it with apples and ice cream- as many as six different cartons in the freezer at a time.
Lyle also enjoyed traveling. Besides flying his own airplane out of the Oelwein Airport in the 60’s, he and Sevilla also toured the country in their Suburban and Airstream during their retirement years. Lyle also penned Memoirs of the Old Ditch Digger during his later years.
Lyle was a long-time member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Aurora, IA until their closing earlier this year, and he was a current member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Independence, IA. He was a lifetime Buchanan County Farm Bureau member and a former member of LICA.

He is survived by five children: Chuck (Lois) Tempus, Aurora, IA; Peg (Roy) Angle, Coon Rapids, MN; Don (MaryAnne) Tempus, Eastman, WI; Dave (Kathy) Tempus, Nora Springs, IA; and Doug (Joyce) Tempus, Northwood, IA; thirteen grandchildren; 1 step-grandson; twenty-four great-grandchildren and eight step-great-grandchildren; brothers Roger Tempus, Independence, and Gary (Roxie) Tempus, Smithland, KY; sisters-in-law Diane Tempus, Arroyo Grande, CA and Ellen Tempus, Pella, and many other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by his wife Anna Sevilla; two sons Paul and Jerry; his parents; two brothers Norman and Gene; and daughter-in-law Suellen Tempus.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 A.M. Monday, Oct. 9, 2017 in the Immanuel Lutheran Church at Independence, Iowa with Pastor Ronald Spears officiating. Casketbearers will be grandchildren. Interment in Mount Hope Cemetery at Independence.

Friends may call for visitation from 3 PM until 6 PM ,Sunday, October 8, 2017 at Fawcett Funeral Home in Winthrop and on Monday, Oct. 9 after 9:30 AM at the Church in Independence.