E. L. "Lanny" Lyles III passed away at the age of 87 on Tuesday, February 24th, after a short illness.  Lanny was a third-generation farmer in Bunkie, LA.  Through the years he farmed sugar cane, corn, sweet potatoes, and soybeans.  He never truly retired from farming.  Even after multiple hip replacement surgeries he kept busy planning for the next season, ordering seeds, planting, fertilizing, watching the weather channel, and harvesting from his massive garden.  He could grow anything, and anything he grew had unbelievable yields: tomatoes, sweet corn, jalapenos, broccoli, cauliflower, watermelon, bell peppers, collard greens, and many more.  He loved sharing his produce with everyone.  When he wasn't farming he stayed outdoors hunting and fishing.

Lanny could cook anyone under the table.  We will sorely miss the feasts he would cook for holiday gatherings.  Leaving the house with a dozen or more of his prized tamales was sure to make anyone's day.  Another prized commodity was cane syrup.  If you have a jug of Lyles Cane Syrup you have the best.

He is preceded in death by his parents E.L. Lyles, Jr. and Myrtle Burnham Lyles.

So many people are left to cherish his memory.  Among them are his sister, Mary Lou Bain, son, Stewart Lyles, who has kept the family farm alive; daughter Leslie Hicks and husband Darrell; and daughter Julie Clement and her husband Chuck; Alice Rabalais Lyles, the mother of his children; grandchildren Peter Clement (Haley), John Paul Clement (Olivia), Grace Clement Fruge (Tanner), Lucy Clement, Andrew Lyles Hicks, Adele Hicks Weil (Jerome), Claire Hicks LeGros (Trebor), Anne Catherine Hicks Barras (Jean-Paul), Caroline Lyles, Matthew Lyles; and great grandchildren Elizabeth Weil and Daniel Clement; nieces and nephews Sterling (Buster) Bain, Jr., Louanne Bain, John Bain, Edgar Bain, and Roger Bain.

Lanny spent the last thirty-five years with his loving companion Lenny Ortego.  Lanny treated Lenny's daughter, Christy Cormier, her husband Todd, and their children, Cameron and Ali, like they were his own.

Funeral services for will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at Hixson-Ducote Funeral Home in Bunkie. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until time of the service.

Pastor Phillip Boone, of First Baptist Church in Bunkie, will be the officiant.

Burial will follow directly after the service at Pythian Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be sent to Hospice of Acadiana.