Nunc Dimittis

Dorothy H. Lyall died November 19 at the age of 85 in Park Ridge, Illinois, where she had recently moved. She and her husband, the late Rev. Gordon Lyall, had lived in Glenview, where Rev. Lyall was the former rector at St. David’s Episcopal Church, and Mrs. Lyall had served as organist and choirmaster. Rev. Lyall died in 1999.

Mrs. Lyall was born May 24, 1920 in Buffalo, New York to Elizabeth Chamberlin and Sterling Patton Helmick. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York, she earned her master’s degree from Columbia University. In addition to her work at St. David’s, she served as organist at many synagogues and churches, including Grace Episcopal Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, Am Shalom Synagogue in Glencoe, Illlinois, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Seven Lakes Episcopal Church in Seven Lakes, North Carolina. After moving to Park Ridge, she frequently traveled to Ephraim, Wisconsin, and became the organist at St. Luke’s Church in Sister Bay, Wisconsin.

Dorothy Lyall had performed organ recitals in Illinois, New York, New Jersey and North Carolina, as well as England. She was a member of the American Guild of Organists and a member of the national board of the Association of Anglican Musicians. She served on the music commissions of the Diocese of Chicago and the Diocese of North Carolina. She was appointed a representative of and received an ARSCM degree from the Royal School of Church Music in England. Mrs. Lyall was a mentor of the Education for Ministry of the Sewanee Seminary in Tennessee.

She is survived by three daughters and seven grandchildren. A memorial service was held December 3 at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Glenview.