Lyle Dwight Israelsen

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Lyle Dwight Israelsen died peacefully in his home in North Logan, Utah on November 22, 2025 at the age of 80. He lived a rich life, full of family, learning, and wide experiences. He was a sportsman, scholar, and storyteller rooted in the land and ethos of the West. He touched the lives of many and was surrounded by his loved ones when he passed.

Born in Logan, Utah on August 6, 1945 to Lyle Eilert Israelsen and Marianna (Nancy) Crookston Israelsen, Dwight was the oldest (by five minutes) of twelve children. Dwight grew up alongside his twin brother Doug and other siblings on the family’s small farm in North Logan. He had many memorable stories from that time. Dwight learned hard work on the farm and the Israelsen’s Buttercup Dairy. Dwight developed a love for the outdoors in his youth, spending days exploring, hunting and camping.

Dwight attended North Logan School through 8th grade, and then South Cache High School. At South Cache, he was student body president, president of the South Cache seminary, a member of the debate team, and a letterman in basketball, track, and football, of which he was captain. Dwight earned his Eagle Scout award with his brother Doug in 1960.

Dwight graduated from high school in 1963 and received an academic scholarship from Utah State University, where he enrolled later that year. Dwight paused his schooling to serve an LDS mission from 1964-66 in the Canadian Mission with assignments in Ontario and New York. He returned to Utah State in 1966, where he earned academic awards and honors. Dwight lettered in Cross Country and was elected as the USU Junior Class President, Senior Class Attorney General, and 1969 Robins Man of the Year. Dwight graduated from Utah State University in 1969 with a BA in Economics and minors in Mathematics and Russian.

After Utah State, Dwight attended graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1969-73 on a National Science Foundation fellowship and received a PhD in Economics.

Dwight married Kathryn Gutke in 1968. They had four children (Burns, Natalie, Karl and Ryan) and later divorced. In 1980, Dwight and JillAnn (Jill) Rhodes were married. Together, they had two children (William and Anne). Dwight and Jill made their home in North Logan, where they built their house, planted their garden, tended their orchard, and created a life together.

Dwight had a 50-year career of university teaching, including as a college senior at Utah State in 1968, a graduate student at MIT from 1971-73, and an assistant professor of economics at Brigham Young University from 1973-80. In 1980, Dwight moved to Utah State University and spent the next forty years there, retiring as a professor of economics in 2020. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard from 1986-87, and a visiting associate professor at BYU in 1994. He served on countless committees and as director of several USU college and department programs, including ten years with the China Cooperative Academic Programs, and eleven years with the International Academic Initiatives. In those roles, Dwight made dozens of trips to partner universities in Russia and in China, where he was known both as a scholar and a cowboy poet.

Over his career, he published 63 refereed publications, another 49 publications and 4 textbooks. He presented 147 papers and received numerous best paper awards. He served in many professional organizations, including 20 years on the Utah Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters executive committee and a stint as its president. Most of all, he enjoyed teaching. He was known for his lectures and received more than a dozen teacher or professor of the year awards. Over the decades, Dwight taught tens of thousands of students in dozens of different courses. He enjoyed meeting former students who had gone on to build meaningful lives.

Dwight was a lifelong hunter, and in later years that took him across the globe. His expanding trophy rooms represented a lifetime of stories, which he would eagerly share with any listener. Hunting was a core part of Dwight’s life and a principal way he connected with many.

He was an artist, and enjoyed writing poetry later in life. He loved history and was a fount of knowledge. Dwight was active in his church, serving in a variety of callings throughout his life. Most important to Dwight were his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was devoted to Jill, and was a supportive, loving, and understanding father and grandfather. His extended family could always count on his famous chocolate chip cookies. He loved family time, whether at the cabin, Utah State sporting events, or any other place his family gathered.

Dwight was preceded by his brothers Doug (Karen), Mark (Toi), and John, and his sister Jeanne Harrison (Keith). Dwight is survived by his wife Jill; his children Burns (Brenda), Natalie Broadbent (Brian), Karl (Christina), Ryan (Abbigail), William (Lora) and Annie Whyte; his siblings Laurie Ballam (Michael), Ned (Cynthia), Lila Geddes (Doyle), Richard, Eve Jones (Randy), James (Melinda), Bonnie Erickson (Steve); and twenty-one grandchildren.

A viewing will be held at Allen Mortuary of North Logan at 420 E 1800 N in North Logan on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 from 5-7 p.m. The funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at the LDS church at 1105 E. 2100 N, North Logan. Another viewing will be held at the same location at 9:30 a.m. prior to the funeral. Dwight will be interred at the North Logan City Cemetery following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the L Dwight Israelsen Aggie Family Scholarship Endowment at https://www.usu.edu/advancement/give/memorial/dwightisraelsen