Trumpet-playing World War II veteran continues his love for music after heart procedure prolongs his life

Lyle Bird (94) vividly recalls the days of riding a motorcycle across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, setting up at the Golden Gate Theatre for a full day of shows. Having grown up in a musical family where his mother played the piano daily, Lyle, 15 at the time, played the trumpet in several swing bands during the big band era.

When Lyle was 17, his parents agreed to let him join the United States Navy to fight in World War II. 

Stationed aboard the USS Okanogan, Lyle’s role was a signalman, responsible for communications between ships and shore, though his fondest time spent aboard the ship was playing in the jazz band. 

Lyle was deployed to Okinawa, Japan, leading to the days when the atomic bomb struck, the beginning of the end of the war. American troops were hauled to Japan, and it was there where Lyle honorably played Taps with his bugle for the soldiers fighting on the frontline who were buried at sea.

Lyle ended his military career in 1946, however, his music profession carried on with him for many decades to come. He was hired on with Sherman, Clay & Co., a musical instrument retailer based out of San Francisco. It was then that Lyle found a passion for the piano. Lyle went on to open and manage several Sherman Clay locations throughout California for over 20 years. Lyle’s love of music passed down to his son, Steve Bird, who proudly followed in his father’s footsteps and opened his own premier music studio, combining two generations of the Bird family with over 100 years of industry experience.

Today, Lyle and his wife, Deena, share a life of joy. They have ten children, twenty grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren and a social life met with weekly happy hours and musical gatherings. His present-day glory is shared with celebrations of his historic past. Lyle is among the 325,000 World War II veterans alive today and has been recognized across many honorary events. He was able to attend the Changing of the Guards in Arlington, and in 2018, Lyle was invited to participate in a wreath presentation at the Pearl Harbor Day event at the World War II Memorial, followed by an Honor Flight from Austin, Texas.

Lyle lived a life far beyond many ever experience. Though with age comes some foreseeable health conditions, and just years before marking a century of existence, Lyle was told he had aortic valve stenosis, requiring a heart valve replacement. He underwent a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure at Methodist Hospital. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure and an effective option to improve quality of life in patients who otherwise have limited choices for the repair of their aortic valve.

“He had surgery on a Thursday, came home on a Friday with oxygen, and by Sunday I could hear him playing his trumpet again in his studio,” Deena recalls. “I told him, ‘I don’t think you need that oxygen anymore.”

Lyle is back to great health and feels better than ever. “Life is good,” he commented. He was excited to get back into the studio doing what he loves — playing his trumpet.