Lyle Frederick Muehlenhardt

Lyle Frederick Muehlenhardt, age 82, of Belle Plaine passed away on February 28, 2026. Funeral Service will be held at 11:00AM on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine. Rev. Martin Bentz will Officiate. Visitation will be on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, from 4-7PM at the Kolden Funeral Home in Belle Plaine and will continue one hour prior to the service at church on Thursday.

Lyle was born on July 4, 1943, in Blakeley Twp, Scott Co., Minnesota to Alfred and Adela (Dahlke) Muehlenhardt. He attended the Keystone School District in rural Blakeley for kindergarten and 1st grade, then to Trinity Lutheran School through 8th grade and was a graduate of Belle Plaine High School in 1961. After graduation, he farmed with his father and nephew Michael in Blakeley Twp. for many years. In 1983, Lyle began working for the Belle Plaine Post Office as a rural letter carrier. He delivered mail for over 30 years, retiring in 2013 (with no accidents or tickets).

Lyle married Barbara (Levad) on April 20, 1968, at Winnebago Lutheran Church in rural Lake Mills, IA. They were blessed with three sons, Bradley, Joshua, and Nathan. He enjoyed fishing, duck hunting, horseshoes, card playing and bowling. He bowled with the same team for 39 years! Lyle also enjoyed playing fast pitch softball and watching MN sports. You often could find Lyle on summer evenings at Tiger Park with a hot dog and a pop cheering on the Tigers. He loved his boys and enjoyed spending evenings with them playing ball in the yard! Lyle loved being a grandpa and spending time with the grandkids playing in the yard, playing up and down the river (card game) and cheering them on in all their activities.

He was on the Blakeley Coop board for several years and on the counting committee at Trinity. In Lyle’s retirement years, he and Barb spent countless hours driving the roads of southern MN looking for wildlife and stopping for treats!

Lyle is preceded in death by his parents; brothers and sisters-in-law Ronald (LaVerne) Muehlenhardt and Eugene (Bev) Muehlenhardt; niece Julie Muehlenhardt; parents-in-law Kenneth & Julia Levad and sister-in-law Sandra Levad.

He is survived by his wife, Barb; Sons Brad, Josh (Terry) and Nathan (Amy) Muehlenhardt; grandchildren Elise, Jackson, Adelyn, Alex, Emily, Evan & Anna Muehlenhardt; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Richard & Julaine Schimmel as well as many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.