Kyle Otto “Les” Kile (North Cascades ’48)
Posted: October 02, 2025
Les, 97, of Wenatchee, Washington, died April 6, 2025. He was born December 11, 1927, in Butlerville, Wisconsin, and grew up on a farm in Butlerville located in northern Wisconsin. He attended Greenwood High School in Greenwood, Wisconsin, where he loved books and sports. After high school graduation he and his brother, Lawrence, rode motorcycles from Wisconsin to Wenatchee, Washington.
He rookied at North Cascade Smokejumper Base in 1948 and jumped there 1948-50. He attended Wenatchee Valley Community College where he met Lorraine Brunton Kile, his wife of over 70 years.
Les graduated from Oregon State University in the early 1950s and began his teaching career at Dryden School, teaching junior high school history and social studies. He retired from teaching in 1982 and focused on cattle ranching and farming.
