I just got home from college tonight and just HAVE to share this with everyone! Since I've been going to College of the Desert, here in Southern CA, I noticed there was a teacher in Business Ed. named Keith Lyrla. The name stood out with me, as my dad's grandfather had a first cousin Charlotte (Wilson) Lyrla who had a son also named Keith. The weirdest thing was in 1986, while working at a posh Palm Springs resort, one of the guests' names on our mailing database was also a Keith Lyrla, of the Chicago area. The last I knew of Grandma's second cousin Keith Lyrla was that he was born 1901 and, according to the Social Security database, died in Chicago in 1982. Well, tonight after my Careers in Teaching class, I finally got up the nerve to go over to Mr. Lyrla's classroom. It started ten minutes after my class let out and was just two classrooms away, in the same building! The first thing I said to Mr. Lyrla, after I found it was he, was asking if his family was from Illinois. He replied, yes. Then I asked if he knew a Keith Lyrla born 1901 and died 1982. He said that was his grandfather. Thus, we are 4th cousins on the Loy side! He said the Keith that stayed at the resort was his father, who later died in 1992. He gave me his business card and I gave him the address of the Loy website. I told him that I had his grandfather listed in my Loy book and would like to get more up to date info on his branch. With finding him, I have been able to contact a descendant of each of the children of Joseph C. and Rachel (Sharp) Loy, with the exception of Harmon who died as a child. This is how my "new cousin" Keith and I are related: Martin Loy-Henry Loy-John Henry Loy-Joseph C. Loy-John Henry Loy-John N. Loy-Susan Diantha (Loy) Walls-Virgil Wesley Walls-Delores Rochelle Walls Martin Loy-Henry Loy-John Henry Loy-Joseph C. Loy-Rachel Elizabeth (Loy) Wilson-Charlotte ("Lottie") (Wilson) Lyrla-Keith Lyrla (I)-Keith Lyrla (II)-Keith H. Lyrla (III) So be kind to teachers--you never know but one might be your cousin! ;-) Delores

I enjoyed your news, Delores, especially "So be kind to teachers--you never know but one might be your cousin!" My mother, Joan Tucker Bramlette (1911 to 1982), was the granddaughter of Margaret Loy (1825 to 1913) who married Stillman Tucker (1812 to 1856). Joan was the daughter of their son, John Foster Tucker (1856 to 1935). She taught school in Los Angeles from the late 1940's until her retirement in 1972. Her schools included Fairfax, Venice and Jordan. Margaret Loy was the daughter of Frederick Loy (about 1770 to 1851) and Elizabeth Eyster (1794 to 1870). Would any of you list members like an invitation to a private site that has pictures of Margaret Loy and other descendants of Frederick Loy? The site also has genealogies, exerpts of DAR records, letters, poetry and other memorabilia of this branch of the Loy family. Please email me if you are interested. Mark Bramlette (1939 to, say, 2039) in Henderson, Nevada