Lyle Jacklin, International Seed Seller

SPOKANE - Lyle Jacklin, who helped his father, brother and cousin start a business that now sells grass seed around the world, has died at age 81.

Mr. Jacklin died at his Spokane Valley home Monday after a long battle with cancer.

He founded Jacklin Seed Co. in the 1930s with his cousin, Gale West, and his father, Ben Jacklin.

The company was based in the Spokane Valley and first sold seeds for peas, lentils and navy beans. It expanded into grass seed after Lyle Jacklin's brother, Arden, joined the firm after World War II.

Lyle Jacklin knew all sides of the business and decided to buy the family's first tract of land in Idaho, West said.

The family-owned company outgrew its operations in the Spokane Valley and moved a few miles east to Post Falls, Idaho, in the 1970s. Today, Jacklin Seed employs 120 people and has annual sales of more than $40 million.

After his retirement, Lyle Jacklin became an avid rock collector. A collection compiled by Mr. Jacklin and his wife remains on display at Washington State University's Jacklin Museum.

He is survived by his wife, Lela Jacklin, and his brother, a sister, a stepmother and three daughters.