Bruce Whiteman Kyte, formerly of Hampton Bays, died on March 20, 2019, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He was 87.
Born on July 14, 1931, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, to the late Lucille Gowdy Kyte and the late James Matheson Kyte Sr., he graduated from George School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1949 and attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, where he served two tours of duty during the Korean War.
Returning home, he married his childhood friend, Barbara Jean Clark, and began his career in the HVAC industry in Hampton Bays as the owner of Kyte Heating and Air Conditioning.
He was an active member of the community, serving as the president of his local industry trade association, as a member of Rotary International, Hampton Bays Methodist Church, and the Democratic Party of Suffolk County.
Mr. Kyte was an avid sailor, even making it to the quarter final qualifiers for the United States Olympic Sailing team, sailing an Olympic class Finn sailboat. He also enjoyed deer and duck hunting.
In 1968, he sold his business and moved his family to the United States Virgin Islands, where he opened an air conditioning and refrigeration business, to serve the burgeoning tourist industry. In his off-hours, he continued to sail, even teaching sailing lessons at the local St. Croix Yacht Club.
He and the family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1973, where he once again started his own business, in commercial and residential heating and air conditioning installation and service. He continued that work until his retirement in the 1990s.
Never one to sit around, he decided to try his hand at farming, first raising pigs and then sheep.
After his home was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Frances, he left Florida for an area less prone to storm damage, moving to Bullock, North Carolina, before finally settling in Norlina. He recently moved to Rocky Mount for health reasons.
Mr. Kyte was predeceased by his brother, James Matheson Kyte Jr. He is survived by three daughters, Junellen Tiska (Charles), Susan Kyte (David Jones), and Linda Kyte; a sister, Constance Downs (James); three grandchildren, Ian Tiska (Shanna Hall), Melissa Tiska Ramos (Daniel), and Russell Waddell; and four great-grandchildren, Dani Ramos, Bailey Tiska, Summer Tiska, and Luca Tiska.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home in Rocky Mount.
on Mar 25, 2019