Kurt Henry Pyle

Kurt Henry Pyle died peacefully at home on March 10,2023, the day before his 82nd birthday, with his loving wife and three children by his side. He was born on March 11, 1941, in Oakland, Ca, to Jean and Thomas Pyle. When he was in the third grade, the family moved to Castro Valley. Kurt was an exceptionally good student, and upon graduating from Hayward High School in the class of Summer 1957 at the age of 16, he attended UC Berkeley in the Fall of that year and earned a degree in chemistry. The free speech movement was just beginning then. and listening to an attorney talk at a rally on campus, he thought it would be a good idea to study law, which he did at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Hastings Law Journal from 1964-1965. He also was named a member of the Order of Coif, was admitted to membership in the Thurston Society, a scholastic honor organization in June of 1965, and was President of the Hastings Alumni Association in 1978 and 1979. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was an attorney in the Judge Advocate General Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio from1966-1969, and received an Air Force Commendation Medal. He then moved to Santa Barbara and joined the law firm of Schramm, Raddue & See. where he worked as a litigation attorney and served two years as a managing partner. He married the love of his life, Beth, at their home in 1977. Sadly that home burned down three months later in the Sycamore Canyon Fire. But true to their character,with the love and support of family and friends,Kurt and Beth persevered and created a lovely home in Santa Barbara where they have lived happily ever since. Kurt was the president of the Santa Barbara Bar Association in 1986. He later was one of the founding members of the Reicker, Clough, Pfau & Pyle law firm, currently known as Reicker, Pfau, Pyle & McRoy. He was loved and respected by his clients and everyone with whom he worked, and improved many lives through his dedication to justice and truth. His moral compass was matched in strength by his sharp intellect, quick wit, and ability to present his cases in court with equal measures of incisive skill and eloquence. Even though he was an incomparable attorney, he was never full of himself and always remained humble, kind and compassionate. His family enjoyed many vacations over the years in Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain where his children learned to ski and became avid skiers to this day. After his retirement in 2007, he and his wife enjoyed many road trips to Lake Tahoe, British Columbia, Big Sur, Menoicino, the Oregon Coast and Canada. At home he enjoyed climbing up on his ladder and filling bird feeders in the backyard, reading the classics,cheering on the Golden State Warriors and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years Beth, his sons Chris and Brendan, daughter Hilary Pyle ( Reimers), his sister Jean Marie Pyle ( Pepper), brother-in-law Marvin Pepper, daughter -in-law Sarah Pyle (Rodda), brother-in-law, James Reigle, son-in-law Justin Reimers and grandchildren Melissa, Adam, Mackenzie and Charlie. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Guillermo, Brenda and Sonia Villa,Laura Beth and Rosa, who helped take such loving and tender care of him at home. A Memorial Service honoring his memory will be held at a later date.

Kurt Henry Pyle

March 11, 1941 - March 10, 2023