Lyle W. La Faver
Dec. 25, 1936 — Aug. 21, 2023
Lyle William La Faver passed away Aug. 21, 2023, in Oakland, of Alzheimer’s dementia. He died peacefully with his wife by his side.
Lyle was born Dec. 25, 1936, in Denver, Colorado, to parents Louis La Faver and Anna Mittendorf. He grew up in San Diego under the shadow of World War II and remembers black-out windows and soldiers chasing kids off the beach.
He attended Chula Vista High School where he excelled in Reserves Officer Training Corp, or ROTC. Lyle and a buddy signed up for Marine Corp Reserve. Unexpectedly, the unit was activated, and the boys completed Marine Corp boot camp at Camp Pendleton. Realizing the boys’ ages, they received honorable discharges and returned to high school to complete their education.
Lyle loved airplanes and soloed at 17. Deciding to forgo the Marines, Lyle enlisted in the US Air Force and was shipped to Japan. He worked in radar at Misawa Air Force Base in northern Honshū. Lyle finished out his military career teaching radar and weather at Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
After his military service, Lyle completed the Copley News Service editorial program and worked as a journalist for 15 years. He married his wife Barbara and helped raise two stepchildren.
Lyle began his Pacific Gas and Electric career in 1978 as a tour guide at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant being built in San Luis Obispo. His photography skills documented all aspects of the construction, and he wrote executive summaries of reports to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
He later joined PG&E’s corporate communications staff as media representative in San Francisco, Chico and Sacramento. He served as chief spokesperson in Sacramento during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and received the Governor’s Award for work with the state Office of Emergency Services.
He continued consulting with PG&E after retiring and moving to Yuma, Arizona, for his wife’s health. He came out of retirement in 1993 to serve as temporary spokesperson at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant. His wife died after 32 years of marriage.
In 2000, Lyle married former PG&E colleague Susanne Coffey at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Danville. They moved to the wine country when Lyle was hired as tour guide at The Geysers and worked at the geothermal visitor center in Middletown.
He also served as a volunteer with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, South Lake County Fire Safe Council and board member for Hidden Valley Lake water district.
He earned Congressman Mike Thompson’s award for community service. He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lakeport.
The couple moved to Alameda in 2015 to be near Kaiser Permanente. Lyle became a docent at Oakland Aviation Museum, reader at Christ Episcopal Church and member of a men’s coffee group on Bay Farm.
Lyle is survived by his wife, Susanne; stepson, Tim Coffey (Michelle); and step-grandchildren, Sean and Madeline, all of Alameda.
A memorial service will be Saturday, Sept. 23, 11 a.m., at Christ Episcopal Church, 1700 Santa Clara Ave, Alameda. A reception immediately follows in the parish hall.
Those wishing to honor Lyle may make donations to Boys and Girls Club or the shower program at Christ Episcopal Church.
