Kristine A. Lyle

Kristine A. Lyle (Kreckel) of Brockway, Pennsylvania, passed surrounded by her loved ones to join those in heaven she so dearly loved and missed on July 4, 2026. 
 

Kris, as she was lovingly called, was born to the late Lyle and Catherine Kreckel (Wilhelm) on August 12, 1952, in St. Marys, and grew up in Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Mansfield University, she began her teaching career in Marienville, Pennsylvania, before spending most of her 38-year career in the St. Marys Area School District. She started as a Home Economics teacher at the high school before transitioning to the middle school after earning her Masters in Education from Edinboro University. She taught many subjects, her favorite being math, a subject she had mastered and spent years attempting to teach her own children, with mixed success.
 

Throughout her years in education, Kris touched countless lives and made lifelong friends. Long after students left her classroom, many still called around the holidays asking for recipes they had learned years earlier and long since forgotten. No matter how busy she was preparing for her own celebrations, she would patiently walk them through every ingredient and step. She was especially well known for her “Momma Lyle” cinnamon rolls and could often be found making pan after pan while patiently entertaining the seemingly endless parade of teenagers her children brought home over the years.
 

Kris loved the water and was an incredible swimmer and skier, both water and downhill. Some of our earliest memories were in her boat on the East Branch, speeding around as she glided gracefully across the water. Kris loved her family and cherished any time spent with them. She loved spending summers on Lake Erie, especially the sunsets, traveling, and her beloved Golden Retrievers. 
 

She lived a life centered on family, generosity, and service to others, and leaves behind countless people who are better for having known her. She was the first to greet you with a warm smile, and no one was a stranger for long. She would go out of her way to help people, and we hope others will do the same in her memory.
 

Kris is survived by her loving husband, Brent Lyle of Brockway, Pennsylvania. Together, they spent 46 years building a life filled with family, laughter, and friendship. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Brooke Freeburg (Adam) of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Brandon Lyle (Kathryn) of Treasure Lake, Pennsylvania. We are endlessly grateful for the constant love, endless sacrifices, and unwavering support she gave us.
 

However much she loved her children, her greatest joy was being “MiMi” to her six grandsons: Logan, Rhys, and Connor Freeburg, and Alex, Sammy, and Scottie Lyle. Nothing brought her more joy than her grandbabies, and we only wish they had more time together.
 

In addition to her immediate family, she is survived by her beloved sisters, Sandy (David) Minnick of Sharon and Faye (Chuck) Warmbrodt of Johnsonburg, whose weekly visits over the past several years brought her great comfort and peace. She is additionally survived by her brothers- and sisters-in-law, Rick Lyle (Brenda), Jennifer Bailley (Jim), and Laurie Eppele (Jack), as well as many cherished nieces and nephews. 

The family would like to thank her friends and family who took the time to visit with her as her health declined, and the staff at Laurelbrooke in Brookville, Pennsylvania, for the care, kindness, and compassion they provided in her final years.
 

Because Kris would be upset at anyone wasting money on flowers for her, the family asks that memorial donations be made to Guardian Angels Center in Kersey, Pennsylvania, or to the scholarship fund being established in her memory to support graduating Seniors who hope to make a difference in the lives of students, just as she did. However, if you managed to get the flowers on clearance, she would likely make an exception.
 

While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing she is now with Jesus and reunited with the loved ones she missed so deeply. We like to think heaven includes every dog she ever loved, and that she is surrounded by them once again.
 

Visitation will be on Thursday, July 9 from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM at the Shugarts Funeral Home Inc. in Brockway. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, July 10 at 11:00 AM at St. Tobias Church in Brockway with Fr. John Detisch presiding. Burial will follow in St. Tobias Cemetery.

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