Lyle Schaunaman
Lyle R. Schaunaman, 85, of Aberdeen, SD, died Thursday, March 19, 2026, at home.
Lyle Richard Schaunaman was born November 2, 1940, to Henry and Cecilia (Wullweber) Schaunaman in Aberdeen, SD. His family moved to the home farm near Richmond Lake on the day he was born and he spent almost his entire life living there. Lyle attended country school in the area and graduated from Westport High School. During high school, he played basketball.
On June 16, 1963, Lyle was united in marriage to Trudy Ristau at St. John’s Lutheran Church, rural Aberdeen. They made their home in Columbia for a brief time. Lyle continued to work on the family farm and helped a friend by delivering propane one winter. Lyle and Trudy returned to the farm and have been there since. Lyle loved farming and had a strong work ethic. When the family was building a new house, Lyle let the calves stay in the garage of the house during a blizzard before the family got to move into the house.
Lyle will be remembered for his generosity to the community. Lyle was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Aberdeen. He drove the blue bus for the church youth, the church van, and gave hayrides for the youth. Lyle helped build the baseball diamond at Westport and helped with games when his kids played youth baseball. Lyle and Trudy’s first date was at the state fair. They were active with the Brown County Fair where Lyle was a ‘Friend of the Fair.’ Lyle made the barrel train in 1993 for the fair and it is also used by other groups. He was inducted into the Brown County Fair Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 2025. He was also a past recipient of the Pheasants Forever Habitat of the Year. For many years, Lyle and Trudy provided homemade ice cream for the fair. Lyle was a prankster and had a huge sense of humor. He was known for his joke of the week. He was always willing to help others and was a talented welder, which many neighbors learned to appreciate. Though he did not like the water, Lyle was happy to go on pontoon rides and fish with friends and family for the socialization. His grandchildren knew that he would always have Pepsi in the fridge and Snickers candy bars in the freezer.
Grateful for having shared Lyle’s life are his wife Trudy Schaunaman; children: Julie (Greg) Milbrandt, Jeff (Jennifer) Schaunaman, and Michael (Brandi) Schaunaman; his grandchildren: Eric (Ashley) Milbrandt, Jacob (Breanna) Milbrandt, Claire Schaunaman, Ava Schaunaman, Carter Schaunaman, and Isaac Schaunaman; great-grandchildren; Everett, Parker, and Rory Milbrandt, and Avery, Gia, and Isaiah Milbrandt; his sister-in-law, Pauline Schaunaman, brother-in-law, Ardell Ronning, and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding Lyle in death are his parents, his great-grandchild, Elliot Milbrandt, twin brother to Everett; Lyle’s brothers George, Irl, Leon, Edwin, Harold, Don, Albert, Henry Jr., and Vern; and sisters Anita Serna, Ruth Morrison, and Ila Ronning.