Ted Lyke
Nov. 5, 1950 ~ Nov. 4, 2019
My father-in-law and love, Ted Lyke, came to Colorado this fall as he did every year to visit his beloved daughter and grandkids and spend time with me chasing elk in the woods. Only this year was different, after 18 months battling pancreatic cancer, it would be his last. In late September, my son Jonan and I enjoyed a wonderful day hunting and fishing…
Ted was the older brother by Christ Jesus Our Lord and Savior. I will dearly miss our long conversations via phone chats over the years. Both of us having the gift of gab, like passion and story telling, it was truly iron sharpening the iron with inspiration and humor! I could never match Ted’s quick wit! A friend of Jesus to every stranger is how I will forever remember him. A man to be honored and his stories to be retold.
In all the world I’ve never known anyone to witness for Christ like Ted. He had an entire church within him and it poured forth from the warmth of his Spirit. His knowledge of the Word was broad and he brought it into conversation helpfully. I also worked with him in the 1980’s and 90’s in Denver, Colorado. Ted was a natural salesman and mentor of his young sales force, and built up what became Popp Telcom into a client base of hundreds through his leadership. I’ve never known a better man than Ted. When I get to the gates of heaven, I’m going to say “I’m with the Big Guy!” You couldn’t have a finer friend. Thank you, Ted. God be with you.
Ted and I became good friends several years ago in Florida. We would invite he and Nancy to our Hangar Karaoke Parties……and Ted would always sing and have a great time. I was the chief pilot for a Citation III at the time when we met. I was able to take Ted and Nancy plus Rudy and Judy and My wife on a mission from Orlando to Fort Myers…..returning the airplane to our base after major maintenance due. Rudy was a B-17 Pilot who became a prisoner of war….for 610 days in the same camp that the movie The Great Escape was made about. I think Ted thoroughly enjoyed the flight and time spent with Rudy. Rudy went home to be with the Lord i n 2013. We are going to miss Ted…..he was a a lot of fun to be around.