Obituary
Lyle Lopus passed away on August 30, 2022 at age 79 from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. A resident of Berkeley, California, Lyle was born in Detroit on February 24, 1943 to Joseph and Sonia (Heisko) Lopus. He grew up in both urban and rural Michigan and graduated from Gaylord High School in 1961, the University of Michigan in 1966 and the University of Michigan Law School in 1969. Lyle began his career as a legal aid lawyer in Fresno, California and later worked as an attorney for the California cities of San Leandro, San Mateo and Fremont. He lived in Fremont and worked in the City Attorney’s Office there from 1980 – 2003.
Lyle loved his family and friends, the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), skiing, beer, ice cream and traveling (especially road trips). As a boy, he formed lasting memories with his scouting troop at Isle Royale National Park. During college and law school, he held a variety of jobs including short-order cook, cab driver, counting telephone poles and on the assembly line at the Ford Wixom Plant.
Lyle met Jane, his wife of 51 years, in Ann Arbor in 1968. In 1969, he set off in his MG Midget on a nearly non-stop cross-country drive to meet her in San Francisco, and California became their permanent home. A dedicated father, Lyle encouraged his daughters to pursue their academic, professional and extracurricular passions, while also offering numerous pieces of much appreciated (but often unsolicited) wisdom on topics such as the contents of a well-stocked earthquake kit. Lyle was generous with his time and happiest when being helpful, whether it be unloading a moving van, reading up on high quality children’s bikes or applying his excellent handyman skills around the house. He was an avid reader, a warm conversationalist, a street-tree enthusiast and a great appreciator of rock and roll. His home was always filled with music.
Lyle is survived by his wife Jane (Schaerges), daughters Andrea (Nate) Cardozo and Sara (Brannon) Lopus Larson and grandchildren Rudd and Inez Larson. He is predeceased by his parents and brother Dale. In lieu of flowers, donations made in Lyle’s name to the University of Michigan Law School will go to an emergency fund to support low-income students.
Celebration of life
A celebration of Lyle’s life will be held on Sunday, February 26th at 2pm at Drake's Dealership in Oakland, California. We chose the date to be close to February 24th, which would have been Lyle's 80th birthday.
Drake's is a beer garden (a former car dealership), so dress will be casual, and children are welcome. Although most of Drake's is an outdoor space, we have reserved the indoor Utica Room, so we won't need to worry about the weather. Pizza, salad, cookies, and beer will be served.
Guests will be invited to share a few memories. We request that you keep these shared memories brief, as Lyle was never a fan of lengthy speeches. :) If you have digital versions of photos of Lyle that we could include in our slideshow, please send them to Jane (jane.lopus@csueastbay.edu), Andrea (andrealopus@gmail.com), or Sara (saralopus@gmail.com). If there are any songs that make you think of him or that you remember he loved, suggestions are welcome, as we'll have music playing in the background at the event.
FINDING DRAKES
Drake’s Dealership is located at 2325 Broadway in Oakland. However, this address is not clearly visible from Broadway.
To enter Drake’s from Broadway you walk through a patio between 2323 Broadway (virtual office space) and 2337 Broadway (Calavera restaurant), and under a wooden sign that says HIVE. There is an ice cream shop on your left and a giant chess game on your right. The entrance to Drake’s is in a brick wall on the left past the ice cream shop. You may also enter Drake’s directly from an adjacent parking lot, whose entrance is off 24th Street between Broadway and Valley Street.
We are in the Utica Room, which is past the garden seating area and on your right.
PARKING/TRANSPORTATION
Drake's is located four blocks (and approximately four tenths of a mile) from the 19th St Oakland BART Station.
Street parking is free on Sundays. Wherever you park, do not leave valuables in the car.
There are several nearby parking lots with paid parking on Sundays. Note that Drake’s is unable to validate parking. Parking lots generally charge between $20 and $30.
The most convenient parking is the paid lot with the entrance off 24th St. between Broadway and Valley St. The entrance to Drake’s can be accessed from this parking lot.
There is also a parking lot directly across Broadway from Drake’s with a large mural of Stephen Curry painted on it. The entrance to this lot is from Webster Street.
There is a parking lot off 23rd St. between Broadway and Valley Street, and other lots on Webster and in the surrounding area.
HOTELS
For out-of-town guests, nearby hotels include the Moxy Oakland Downtown (a 5-minute walk from Drakes) and Kissel Uptown Oakland (across the street from Drakes). The historic Claremont Club & Spa is a 10-minute Lyft or Uber ride away.
We look forward to sharing this day with you.
Memorial gifts
In lieu of flowers, donations made in Lyle's name to the University of Michigan Law School will go to an emergency fund for low-income students. Thank you for supporting a program similar to that which supported Lyle during his time at Michigan Law.
Checks should be made payable to "University of Michigan Law School," with "In memory of Lyle Lopus" on the memo line and mailed to:
University of Michigan Law School
Development & Alumni Relations
Suite 4000
701 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Or, make an online donation here.
After clicking on the link above:
- Click on the "GIVE NOW" button (blue letters in a gold box on the right side of the page).
- Fill in the amount of your gift, and click "Proceed to Checkout".
- Select the choice of "This is a Tribute Gift."
- After "My gift is...", select "in memory of" or "in honor of", and type "Lyle Lopus" in the open box for Tributee Name.
- If you like, you may click again and write the name and address of the person you would like to be notified of the gift. You may also add a comment. (This step is optional.)
- Click on "Continue", and complete the remaining steps with the payment information.