Lyle Dean Babcock was born to Alvin and Pearl (Law) Babcock on September 9, 1931 on their farm in Dawn Township, Lambton County, Ontario. He passed to his eternal reward on December 31, 2023. Lyle met Ruth Hewgill while traveling and preaching for the Ontario Temperance Federation in that province. They were married August 27, 1957 in Thornbury, Ontario. Lyle and Ruth served in ministry together until her home-going to glory in 2013. Lyle was first appointed as pastor in the Free Methodist Church in 1956. He continued in pastoral service in that denomination until 2014. His ministry from 1959 until retirement was in Stephenson County, Illinois as pastor of Free Methodist Churches in Freeport, McConnell and Richland (west of Red Oak). In addition to serving as pastor of two or three churches at once, Lyle taught children with special needs for the Freeport School District. In his later years he retired from teaching and served as pastor of just one church: Richland Free Methodist Church, until his clerical retirement in 2014. Lyle’s overarching passion and calling in life was to help people know God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Rev. Babcock was pre-deceased by his parents, his wife, Ruth, three infant brothers in the 1920s, his brother, Rev. Gerald E. Babcock and Gerald’s wife Helen, and a grandson, Andrew Babcock. He is survived by his three children Raymond (Pam), Dean (Steffi), and Ruth Babcock; grandchildren Josh (Giacomo), Ericka, Christine, Tim, Cheyenne, Christopher, Jonathan, Sarah, Elianna and one great granddaughter, Jonnicka.
Visitation will be at Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home, 504 N Walnut Ave, Freeport, IL, Friday, January 5, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. The funeral will be held at Freeport First Free Methodist Church, Saturday, January 6, 10:00 a.m. There will also be an hour of visitation preceding the funeral. Interment will be at Richland Free Methodist Church where he served as pastor for 52 consecutive years. Revs. Tim Wauchope and Don Jamerson will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to TMS Global, Inc, PO Box 936559, Atlanta, GA 31193-6559, for missionary support of Dean and Steffi Babcock (tms-global.org/give), OR Richland Free Methodist Church c/o Wendy Auer 3520 W Winslow Rd Orangeville, IL 61060 OR International Child Care Ministries, PO Box 51710, Indianapolis, IN 46251 (childcareministries.org) with memo Monte Santo.
