David Wesley Carlyle

Dr. David Carlyle was born June 9, 1938, to Lloyd and Muriel Carlyle in rural Johnson County, MO near Odessa.  After graduation from Odessa High School in 1956, he attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. While there, he earned a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and went on to be employed at Proctor and Gamble in Kansas City, MO.

In 1959 he married Norma Adair Leopold.  Three daughters were born to them in 1962, 1964, and 1969. They were married for 62 ½ years. 

David moved his family to Iowa and received his doctorate in chemistry from Iowa State University. His studies didn’t end there but continued at the University of Colorado for post-doctoral work. Afterwards he became a professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX from 1970 to 1973. 

In the summer of 1973, David left academia to move back to his hometown of Odessa, MO and farm his father’s farm.  To supplement the farm income, he taught junior and senior high school in the Odessa school system.  He farmed full-time for several years before starting his own remodeling business.  This led to the purchase of a Kitchen Wizards franchise which he operated until his retirement in 2003. After retirement, David continued to work part-time to stay busy.  These jobs included Heritage Motors, Action Products, Sears, and a downtown Odessa bookstore.  He also authored six fictional novels.

David passed away on July 15, 2022, in Columbia, MO. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Muriel Carlyle, and his son-in-law, Jeff Bandy.  He is survived by his wife, Norma Adair, a sister, Vivian Carlyle Zehr, his daughters, Gailynn Schollars (David), Leanne Bandy, and Linda Hopkins (Jason), ten grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at First Baptist Church, 100 State Hwy OO, Odessa, MO 64076 on Saturday, July 23, 2022, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.  Visitation will be held one hour prior, starting at 10:00 a.m.  A private burial will be at Elm Cemetery in Elm, MO.  Memorials may be made to Wycliffe Bible Translators, #286005, PO Box 628211, Orlando, FL. 32862 OR to First Baptist Church in Odessa, MO and may left in care of Ralph O. Jones Funeral Home, 306 S. 2nd Street, Odessa, MO, 64076, 846-633-5524.  Memories of David and condolences for his family may be left at www.LedfordFamilyFH.com or on our Facebook Page.