Lyle W. Laabs

Lyle W. Laabs, (Labby) age 65 of rural Le Sueur died March 16, 2020, at the Ridgeview Medical Center in Le Sueur with dear friends by his side.  Memorial Service will be 11:00 a.m,  Sunday, June 28th  at the Caribou Gun Club south of Le Sueur.  Visitation will be at the Gun Club one hour prior to the service at the Gun Club.  Refreshments to follow, burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Belle Plaine, MN.

Lyle was born on May 15, 1954, to William and Wilma (McPadden) Laabs in Arlington, MN.  He grew up in Le Sueur and attended Le Sueur Schools.  After graduating from Le Sueur High school, Lyle attended some technical training. He worked for the Creamery in Le Sueur and then began working for O’Brien Plumbing and Heating in Le Sueur. But his greatest passion and life’s work was his farm. From the hogs in the early years to all of the crops that he harvested, Labby enjoyed few things more than being on his farm in Northern Le Sueur County. Many were able to reap the benefits of his green thumb and his healthy garden as well. From sweet corn to sweet raspberries he always had an abundance to share.

He shared a love for baking and cooking also. If you were fortunate enough to drive into his yard, which he lined with a bounty of beautiful tulips each spring, you may have been blessed with his homemade bread, raspberry pie, venison chili, or some of his delicious homemade sausage, jerky, and hamburger. He was a caring soul and he loved the camaraderie of his friends.  Whether enjoying the trails discovered on a snowmobile trip, harvesting deer during hunting season, calling a turkey out of roost in the spring, shooting a round of trap, or having a great catch while fishing, Labby had a contagious smile and a belly laugh like none other. His blue eyes were the window to his generous, caring soul, and his sensitive, giving heart always made you feel welcome. He found joy telling tales in his shed which was often converted to a butcher shop or cider mill with state of the art equipment and Labby’s own personal recipes. Oh, the stories and memories the farm holds...

He is preceded in death by his parents, Willy and Wilma, and an infant brother.

Lyle will be lovingly remembered and missed by his caregivers in time of illness, Mary Dvorak and Jim Legg, many friends, and his relatives.  His laugh will forever echo throughout Tyrone Township.