Obituary

Garland Lyle Oden Jr, 94, passed away September 16, 2026, at the John Knox Village Memory Care Facility in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He was born November 10, 1931, in Holton, Kansas to Garland Latimer Oden and Mary (Burger) Oden. He is survived by Carol Jean (Vanlandingham), Oden, his wife of 70 years, his son Stephen Lyle Oden and his wife Tracy, two grandsons, their wives and four great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his daughter Jean Marie (Oden) Stone and Dewayne Oden his brother.

Lyle’s early years were spent in Holton, Kansas before moving to Kansas City, Missouri and graduating from East High School. He joined the US Army in 1952 and served during the Korean War in France. He was discharged in 1954 and went to work at the Kansas City Hay Press in Kansas City, Missouri as an apprentice machinist. He ultimately retired from TransWorld Airlines (TWA) in 1992 after 25 years as an airline parts machinist. After serving in the US Army, he met Carol Jean Vanlandingham on a blind date, and they went on to share nearly 70 years of marriage and had two children together.

Lyle enjoyed many outdoor activities, such as fishing, canoeing and boating. He was also a small aircraft pilot flying Cessna 150’s and 172’s out of the Independence Memorial Airport. In the mid-70’s he bought his first pleasure boat, which provided his family with hours of fun and time together. Initially he trailered the boat to Lake of the Ozarks for day trips of boating, skiing and picnicking with his friends from TWA. In 1978 he bought his first lake house in the Ivy Bend area of Lake of the Ozarks. His love of the Ozarks and these outdoor activities created a family legacy that is still enjoyed today.

Lyle also enjoyed traveling. As an employee of TWA he was able to take his family on many wonderful trips. He especially enjoyed flying to Tuson, AZ and staying at a desert “dude ranch” relaxing and exploring on horseback and hiking.

When Lyle and Carol retired in 1992, they moved from the Kansas City area to a new home at Table Rock Lake where he spent his retirement walking his Schnauzer, fishing, yardwork and sitting on the front porch “watching the water go by”, as he liked to say. They moved from the lake to Joplin, Missouri in 2002 and then in 2009 they returned to the Kansas City area to live in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Lyle began to have difficulties with his memory, and in 2009 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This diagnosis led Lyle and Carol to return to Kansas City to be closer to family. Over the next 13 years Carol provided him with an increasing amount of day-to-day care in their home in Lee’s Summit. In 2022, he and Carol moved to John Knox Village (JKV) and shortly after they moved, Lyle was admitted to the JKV Memory Care facility where he lived until his death. Carol lives in JKV Independent Living and visited Lyle regularly providing him with additional care and attention as his health declined.

Lyle loved his family and friends and provided a stable and loving home life filled with many weekend and vacation adventures. Although his dementia took its toll over many years, he is remembered and loved for the man he was, as well as “Mr. Lyle” as he was known at the JKV Care Center where his where his smile and sparkle in his eyes made him a favorite of the staff that cared for him. He will be missed.