Lyle Peterson Forbes

“Loveable Lyle” Forbes

1934–2026

Lyle Forbes has lifted off for the last time - or maybe just the first time from a new runway. Cleared west, climb unlimited. We like to think there's a piano and maybe an accordion waiting for him on the other side.

He is survived by his children - Kelly (grandchildren Andy, Megan, Lala, and Kelci), Jeff, Scott (Margaret and grandsons Fraser and Fionnlugh); and Iris, former wife and mother of his children. Lyle was delighted to outlive his only sibling; to say they had a contentious relationship would be putting it mildly.

Born 92 years ago, Lyle arrived with a mind already turning. He could fill a room without saying a word - and when he was quiet, it usually meant he was three moves ahead of the rest of us. He logged towering timber, studied civil engineering at UBC, and ran heavy equipment with the same gentle touch he later applied to piano keys, ukulele strings, accordion bellows and, occasionally, the last nerve of those who knew him.

He learned to fly at YVR - borrowing a friend's Harley to get to the airport - and took Iris flying on their first date.

Lyle sold logging equipment for Deitrich Collins and, in a move that surprised absolutely no one, bullshitted his way into a bush pilot position despite lacking a float endorsement. He went up for a test flight with the boss and as it turned out, Lyle was a natural. He was one of a kind, a logging equipment salesman who needed not wait on the whims of a bush pilot. When he was not flying in and out of remote logging camps, he was flying his boss - once to meet with the premier in Victoria. He once landed a float plane on a flooded field, because why wouldn't you? Later Lyle started his own business - Forbes Equipment.

He bought his own float plane. On weekends Lyle flew his family from their Dollarton home to their cabin on Sakinaw Lake; the kids would wave at everybody in the Horseshoe Bay ferry lineup. It was one of the few lake properties with road access but he needed no car - a grocery run just meant a quick flight to Madeira Park.

Kelly has fond memories of Lyle teaching her to waterski, run an outboard motor, jig for cod, chop wood, run a chainsaw and a bulldozer. One of Lyle's most memorable antics included setting up Christmas lights facing the Christmas Carol ships to spell out HUMBUG - later in the evening he switched it around to read BUMHUG.

Lyle had a band that played parties and community halls, always the first to get their hands on new sheet music. If there was a piano in the room, he eventually found his way to it; it was often the start to an impromptu singalong. Around 1973, he carved his first totem pole - Beaver at the bottom, then D'Sonoqua, followed by Grizzly and Thunderbird on top. The raising party was epic; members of the Tsleil-Waututh band watched the skies for the most auspicious time.

After Lyle and Iris separated, Lyle lived on Sakinaw Lake full time; he was one of only two permanent residents back then. He lived there with his cat named Dog, reigning as the never-disputed King of Sakinaw Lake. He created the comic strip Sakinaw Rex, published in the Sunshine Coast News, documenting the adventures of the King and later introducing Kelly the Lake Monster.

Lyle jumped in to help when people needed it. When a family member lost their young child, he and Iris packed and flew to console the devastated family. Sixty years later, that family member is still grateful for Lyle's actions at that horrible time. They remember that nobody else came.

When a fisherman with four children lost his home to a fire on the Sunshine Coast, Lyle organized an entire rebuild - at no cost - because some things you just do, and you don't make a fuss about it.

Lyle was, at times, highly critical of government - a position he expressed with creativity. Prior to the 2010 Olympics, he recreated the iconic logo using toilet seats, accompanied by a hand-painted sign that read: "Save me a seat at the Winter Games." The piece was never officially adopted by VANOC, a decision history will surely judge harshly.

His sole regret, expressed with genuine disappointment in recent weeks, was that he would not live long enough to erect the Penis de Lylo - a monument he felt the Sunshine Coast was desperately lacking.

He lived on the Sunshine Coast for well over 50 years, which means he probably had a mildly contentious history with approximately half the population.

Lyle always said a sense of humour is the most important feature a person can have. He wasn't wrong. And if there's a sandbar up there, he's already landed on it, talked his way into the lodge, and is holding court at a table full of bullshitters - 30 years sober and still the best storyteller in the room.

And now, at last, he is among the ancestors. They have been waiting. He has arrived.

No formal service, a memorial is being planned for a later date.

Instead, do something that would make Lyle laugh. Gather some people, make some noise, and don't take yourself too seriously. Tell a story where everyone ends up smiling. Do a kindness with no audience. And if you happen to erect something tall and questionable on the waterfront, dedicate it to Loveable Lyle. He'd want that."

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