Charles Robert Pyle, Jr.

Charles Robert Pyle, Jr., 78, of Michigan Center, Mich. passed away January 12, 2021 due to COVID complications. After battling and suffering for several weeks, he elected to embrace his death and passed away in comfort in the care of Ebeid Hospice, surrounded by his loving family. Charles was born on October 9, 1942 in Waterloo, Iowa to the late Charles and Hope (Magee) Pyle. He was a middling student with little interest in academics. After high school, he spent his first summer hustling pool and laying sewage lines which caused him to reconsider his prior academic philosophy. He went on to receive a B.A. in Anthropology (1966) and M.A. (1968) from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in Linguistics (1971) from the University of Illinois. He became a teacher and professor of linguistics at several distinguished institutions of higher learning, the University of Michigan, King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Michigan State Prison. He often commented his smartest students were from the State Prison and the only real difference was these students had been caught. After leaving these academic institutions, he devoted himself to the research, analysis and drafting of his Buddhist Theory of Language Project (available at academia.edu). He loved to swim and his friends and family affectionately called him “Gup” short for guppy from an early age. He remained active playing water polo with the University of Michigan Flounders Waterpolo Club into his 70s. He enjoyed fishing with family and friends. He was an extremely good listener, laughed a lot and often made fun of himself. Although he would never refer to himself this way, he remained an intellectual and serious scholar until his death. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of many years, Virginia Pyle; his children, Dovie, Jeremiah, Marino, Charles, Jacob, Teena, and Sarah; his 17 grandchildren; and his sister, JoEllyn Bach. At the family’s request, funeral services will be private. To share a memory of Charles, or words of comfort and support with the family during this time, please visit Charles’ Tribute Wall, which is located near the top of this page. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to ProMedica Ebeid Residence, where they are providing comfort and care to many other COVID patients and their families (https://giving.promedica.org/hospice).