Lyle Bernard Whittlesey was born November 24, 1930 to Bernard Willis and Ella Mae (Ohmen) Whittlesey on their family farm in New Preston, Connecticut and, along with his sister Natalie (Whittlesey) Hoffman, was among the seventh generation to live there. On April 20, 1952 he married Laura Mae Bartlett in Kent, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Rodman E. and Hazel (Bownes) Bartlett. They were married for 56 years until she passed away on October 20, 2008 at age 78. He is survived by their two sons, Bruce Rodman and Neil Bernard Whittlesey, Bruce’s wife Charlotte Bingham, Neil’s wife Jennifer (Johnson) Whittlesey, and three grandchildren: Naomi, Sam, and William. Lyle lived in New Preston until 2006, when he and Laura moved to Caanan, Connecticut. He joined the New Preston Congregational Church in 1947, where he remained a lifelong member and eventually served in every lay office except for treasurer. After graduating from Washington High School in 1949 he worked in a variety of jobs before beginning a distinguished career with the Connecticut Highway Department (later the Connecticut Department of Transportation) in 19##. He started in an entry-level position as an engineer’s helper on a survey crew and then worked as an inspector for highway construction. He steadily rose through the ranks, and in 1964 was chosen to be the head of the Connecticut Geodedic Survey section in Wethersfield, where he served for ## years before returning to the New Milford District office, then going to the New Haven office, and finally returning to the New Milford district office where he retired in 1985 as Assistant District Engineer. One of the highlights of his career was when he gave a presentation entitled “New Horizons for a State Coordinate System” at the 1975 national convention for the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping in Washington D.C. Lyle was an avid hiker, bird watcher, and overall outdoorsman, dating back to his early days on the farm. He will be remembered for his nature photography and the many nature programs and slide shows he presented at the Sharon and Litchfield Hills chapters of the Audubon Society, the White Memorial Association, and local churches, schools, and nursing homes. He won several awards for photography at the local Audubon chapters, as well as the Goshen Fair. He was a member of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society since 1987 and took part in annual bird counts for many years. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, at New Preston Congregational Church, 15 Church Street, New Preston. Masks will be required in church. Burial will follow in New Preston Village Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Litchfield Hills Audubon Society, P.O. Box 861, Litchfield, CT 06759.