City man led 'unconventional' life
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Ted Kyle always had his own way of doing things in life and now in death.
Mr. Kyle, who died at his home Saturday, was 89. A celebration of his life will take place at the Army Navy Airforce Club, 645 Colborne St. on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“He was always unconventional and this is what he wanted,” said Betty Finley, Mr. Kyle’s niece. “We’ll set up a display of all his hardware – he had a lot of trophies from darts, snooker and cards and people will be able to talk and share stories.
“He was quite the character, a kind-hearted soul who loved to be among kindred spirits in a service club.”
Born in Brantford, Mr. Kyle, a 60-year-member of the club, was a husband, father, and navy veteran who represented Canada internationally in darts. The founding president of the National Darts Federation of Canada, Mr. Kyle started a magazine – The Darts Review – back in the 1970s and was later inducted into the federation’s hall of fame.
The hall of fame induction was noted in The Expositor back in the early 2000s at the Best Western Brant Park Inn when the city was host to the National Youth Darts Championship. Amongst his many trophies is a plaque commemorating his participation at the darts World Cup III held in New Zealand in 1981.
He was also an accomplished snooker player.
Growing up in Brantford, Mr. Kyle attended King George School and Brantford Collegiate Institute but left the city behind to join the navy when he was 17. He spent four years in the navy serving on several different ships, including H.M.C.S Portage, H.M.C.S. Haida, H.M.C.S. Mic Mac, H.M.C.S. Warrior and finally on H.M.C.S. Magnificent.
“He really enjoyed his time in the navy,” Finley said. “He was able to see a lot of the world including Jamaica, Cuba and the Barbados.
“He had a lot of stories about his time in service and highlight for him was going to Portsmouth, England and seeing The Bounty.”
Mr. Kyle also spent some time on board a ship in the North Atlantic ocean and often told the story of being in the crow’s nest. It was so cramped and so cold, it sometimes took two men to take a man out of the crow’s nest because his feet were so cold he couldn’t move them.
There was also the time he and a buddy went absent without leave.
Their ship had run aground near St. John, N.B. and Mr. Lyle went ashore without permission. He and a buddy went out drinking and later that night tried to take a bus back to the ship.
Unfortunately, the bus was headed in the opposite direction. They fell asleep and when they woke up they found themselves in Montreal without even enough money to pay for their fare. Instead of trying to find a way back to the ship, they decided to head home.
“We slept in a church and then hitch-hiked back to Brantford,” Mr. Kyle recalled in his family history book. “I was home on ‘leave’ until my dad found out and told me to get my ass back there and face consequences.”
After leaving the navy, Mr. Kyle began working for the City of Toronto in the parks and recreation department. He retired as a foreman after 35 years and moved back to his hometown.
“He was tired of the hustle and bustle of big city life and wanted a slower pace,” Finley said. “He came back to Brantford and spent a lot of his time playing darts, snooker and cards.
“He wasn’t one for bright lights and convention. He preferred the fellowship of the service club.”
Mr. Kyle was predeceased by his parents Robert and Evelyn Kyle, his brother Robert and the love of his life, Nancy. He was the father of Terri (Steve), Ted and Kelly (Tom) and the grandfather of James.
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