Lyle Wayne Behm Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Behm, Lyle W. of Apple Valley, MN passed away peacefully on July 1, 2022 at the age of 91. Lyle was born in Canova, South Dakota on June 4, 1931, the son of Philip and Joy Behm. He grew up and attended high school in Howard, South Dakota. At the age of 17, he fully wired the family home with electricity before enlisting in the US Navy, just prior to the Korean War, where he served as an Electronic Technician First Class. Following his honorable discharge, he met and married his wife of 59 years, Beverly (Johnston) Behm, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was hired by Braniff Airways as an Avionics Technician, where he worked for 28 years first in Kansas City, Missouri then Dallas, Texas. After the demise of Braniff, he continued his career in aviation with Northwest Airlines, working and retiring in Minneapolis. Lyle was a responsible husband and father, sometimes working two jobs to provide for the family. He was known for his detailed bookkeeping and strict budgeting. But, his inner adventurer came out as an octogenarian once he was unfettered by responsibilities. When he was 82, he drove to southern California, including a tour around the post-apocalyptic Salton Sea - a site visited by Chris McCandless in Into the Wild, one of his favorite books. At 83, he drove his Lincoln sedan on a Forest Service road deep into the Prescott National Forest in search of a spot on the map called Behm Mesa, where he was stranded, surviving 2 nights drinking out of streams and sleeping against rocks until a group of hunters found him. When he was 86, he walked to the bus stop near his senior apartment with just an overnight bag, taking the train from St Paul to Glacier National Park where he took a vintage Red Bus tour along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, returning to his apartment the same way. These were just a few of his many late-in-life adventures. He was curious and interested in the world until the end, and never met a stranger. He lived life to the fullest until his own final journey into the wild. He is preceded in death by his wife, Beverly, brother Ardell, and sister Bonnie (Binger). He is survived by 3 children, Jonathan, Frisco, TX; JoAnn (Steve) Scott, Lake Kiowa, TX; Barbara (Keith) Theisen, Medina, MN, along with 2 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, as well as his 'family' of many dear friends at his senior living community, The Timbers, in Apple Valley. A private interment is planned at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Tributes

Lyle Wayne Behm

June 4, 1931 - July 1, 2022

Tributes

Lyle Wayne Behm

June 4, 1931 - July 1, 2022

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