Lyle S. Hallman^[1]

1922 - 2003  (81 years)

• Name	Lyle S. Hallman
  Born	1922	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Gender	Male
  Residence	Abt 1930	54 Cedar St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Died	25 Oct 2003	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Buried	31 Oct 2003	First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region	Bef 2012	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  Interesting	business, philanthropist
  Military	WW2
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-25383P
  Grave Photograph - Find A Grave	Gravestone of Lyle S. Hallmann
  Person ID	I25383	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Anson Hallman,   b. 21 Sep 1887, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 21 Jan 1983, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 95 years)
  Mother	Esther Shantz,   b. 2 Jun 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 19 Dec 1961, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 70 years)
  Married	1918  [1]
  Family ID	F6555	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Dorothy Groff,   b. 3 Dec 1923
  Married	27 Jan 1922
  Children	1. Peter George Hallman,   b. 6 Aug 1950,   d. 22 Jun 1999  (Age 48 years)
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F42843	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Lyle Hallman at ground breaking

  
  

• Notes

  Lyle Hallman death WATERLOO, Ont. -- The University of Waterloo family is saddened today by the tragic loss of Lyle Hallman, one of the Kitchener-Waterloo community's leading philanthropists and a great friend of the University. Over the last decade, Lyle Hallman and his family generously supported the University of Waterloo, beginning with a donation for an endowment in the UW Library. Later, several large donations to the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences made possible, first the creation of the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion and, more recently, the expansion of that facility. The Institute sponsors research and outreach programs to promote healthy living. "Lyle was a tremendous friend to the University of Waterloo and a joy to be with," said president David Johnston. "He appreciated the vital reasons for advancing research into the kinds of health-related areas engaged in by the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences." "He took great delight in helping UW and the community and will be greatly missed. But his legacy as a community builder will endure," Johnston said. Past president James Downey had many associations with Hallman. "The University has lost a splendid benefactor and our K-W community has lost one of its finest citizens. He combined great business acumen with an admirable social conscience. Along with others, I was delighted when he was admitted to the Order of Canada. I feel privileged to have known him." Mike Sharratt, dean of the Faculty of Applied health Sciences, said: "Lyle Hallman demonstrated an unparalleled generosity of spirit for helping children achieve a healthy lifestyle. We will honour that spirit through our research and teaching within the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion at UW." 1a 1aNews release; University of Waterloo 11 Jun 2003 https://www.newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/archive/news.php?id=2982 ______________________________________________________ June 10, 2003 Hallman sells rental empire. Waterloo- ON - June 10, 2003 - It's the end of an era for the area's biggest landlords. Lyle and Wendy Hallman are getting out of the rental business. The basic, affordable block-style Hallman buildings that sprang up across the landscape over the decades and housed tens of thousands of people are being sold in one huge, multi-million-dollar real-estate deal. Wendy Hallman, 53 president of Hallman Property Management, confirmed yesterday that she and her husband Lyle, 81, are selling all of their more than 3,000 rental apartment units in 63 buildings. She wouldn't disclose the sum but it has been described as the biggest real-estate transaction ever for this area. The name of the buyer won't be made official until the superintendents have been informed. But it's known the deal is with an out-of-town company that owns apartment buildings in this area. The decision to sell the entire residential rental business came about quickly, Wendy Hallman said. When a buyer emerged who wanted all of the buildings, "that made it a very nice package," she said. For more than 20 years, the Hallmans have lived in a unit in one of their apartment buildings in Waterloo. So, as of July 3, when the deal closes, "we'll be tenants for the first time," she said. Lyle Hallman described the sale as "a very successful ending to something I've been involved in for a lot of my life." It was the right deal at the right time, he said. But Hallman was adamant he has no intention of retiring, even if he is out of the rental business. He will still develop vacant properties for building lots and has office space on Victoria Street North to continue that part of the business. He also still owns a small commercial plaza and is busy with philanthropic endeavours. "I'll be in the office every day," he said. Wendy Hallman, who has worked for Lyle for 29 years and has run the property management side of the business in recent years, said "He still tires me out…I don't think he'll ever retire." Hallman's father was a general contractor in the Preston section of Cambridge. His business crashed in 1929. That didn't deter Lyle, who started his own business with $750 in 1945 after serving in the Second World War. He began by renovating buildings, then buying land and building houses. He built his first apartment building in 1966 and kept on building. "I didn't know enough to stop," he said. The buildings sprung up not only in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph but also in smaller communities such as Elmira, New Hamburg, Fergus, Hanover, and Listowel. "We had millions of dollars of mortgage money in it but I just kept paying the mortgages down," Hallman said. The business grew until he had, at one point, about 4,000 units. His son, Tom, in Cambridge, started his own property management business and bought about 800 of the units. "Another son, Peter, was also prominent builder developer but died in a motorcycle accident in 1999. Hallman's daughter-in-law and two other children run seniors' homes. Hallman prided himself on building "housing for the masses." He built units geared to the average working person. The signature Hallman buildings are solid, square and basic yet clean and well maintained. "When I started, I had one thought in mind: There are more Chevrolets on this road than there are Cadillacs," Hallman said. Realtor John Whitney said Hallman has left a significant and lasting footprint in this area. "If you grew up in this area, chances are, you've lived in a Hallman building or you've had friends and family members who have lived in a Hallman building," Whitney said. "He didn't build the Taj Mahal but what he built was high quality and he maintained the buildings impeccably." As other investors were turning apartments into condominiums Hallman was adding to the area's rental housing stock. "He provided an infrastructure that allowed the region to grow," Whitney said. "It would be hard to get the employee base we have and get accommodation for those workers without the units he built. What he built is an important as a road network or an expressway." Hallman's legacy is more than buildings. He's also been one of the area's most generous philanthropists. Recent donations include $1.5 million to the K-W Health Centre, $500,000 to the Fairview Mennonite Home in Cambridge, $500,000 for a pool that bears the Hallman name in Kitchener's Stanley Park area, and $1 million to the K-W Community Foundation. At a groundbreaking ceremony today, the Hallman's will launch an addition to the Lyle S Hallman Institute for Health Promotion, based at the University of Waterloo. Hallman said that with the proceeds from this sale, he will likely be able to do even more philanthropy. "I've got enough energy left to just keep going. There's a silver dollar at the end of every day," he said. He added that he does have a hobby outside his work; he's been an avid cross-stitcher for 25 years. "I always get up early (about 5 a.m.) and I can do an hour or two of sewing," he said. "I get a great satisfaction out of this because I don't have the TV on and I keep on sewing while I am thinking." Whitney said Hallman has shown people what one person can build. "I don't know of any more wonderful story than the Lyle Hallman story. https://www.gotransglobe.com/news/Jun102003. html [link gone]

  
  

• Sources

  [S8] News - Gospel Herald, Obituary of Esther Shantz - May 1, 1962. [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1922 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Abt 1930 - 54 Cedar St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 25 Oct 2003 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - 31 Oct 2003 - First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth