Lyle James Kanaly

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Lyle James Kanaly, 91, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away Saturday morning, January 19, 2019, at Aberdeen Health and Rehab. He had been there less than 24 hours.

Funeral services are 10:30 a.m., Friday, January 25, 2019, at Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, with Pastor George Shaver of Seventh Day Adventist Church officiating.

Burial is at Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery, Aberdeen.

Schriver’s Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements.  Family and friends may sign the online guestbook and also view the service via the live stream service link at www.schriversmemorial.com.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the mortuary.

Lyle James Kanaly was born October 2, 1927, to James and Grace (Kampman) Kanaly on the family farm four and a half miles east of Columbia, South Dakota. When he was little, his family farmed near Tomah, Wisconsin. Some of his happiest memories and love for Wisconsin were formed there. When he was four, the family moved back to the Kanaly farm near Columbia, South Dakota. Lyle attended the Nelson School and Columbia High School. A tornado made the family home uninhabitable, forcing them to move. They lived on two farmsteads in the area and lived a year in Aberdeen before moving to a farm near Westport, South Dakota in 1944.

Lyle farmed with his father, Jim, raising wheat, corn, flax and various livestock before concentrating on sheep. When he retired from raising sheep, he continued to rent out his pasture to other sheep ranchers. Lyle stayed on the farm until 2007 when he moved to Aberdeen. He always said that was his biggest mistake.

Uncle Lyle spent many happy days on the farm with nephews Robert Stassel and Clay Spellman who were also his traveling companions.

Lyle lovingly cared for his mother, Grace, for thirteen years after his father died in 1973. In his seventies, Lyle started to babysit his great niece Merissa Spellman’s children; Maisey (Rosebud, Lyle’s special name for her), Jazz and Melaya.

Lyle had a beautiful voice and he could do a fair job of imitating some of his favorite old-time western singers. He taught himself to play guitar which he did very well. The family still enjoys the tapes he made of his singing and playing. Lyle had a love and true appreciation of poetry. He could recite many poems from memory and often entertained his visitors with his dramatic delivery. He had a sly sense of humor and was quick with a line. An excellent chess player, Lyle was rarely beaten. Lyle and his father, Jim, played horseshoes. They traveled to many tournaments and won many trophies. Lyle loved boxing and was wicked on the speed bag and the heavy bag. He liked history and if you wanted to know anything about Custer’s Last Stand, all you had to do was ask him. Lyle was a Republican and enjoyed talking policy with like-minded people.

For the last twenty months Uncle Lyle had made his home with his great niece, Kanaly Krause, who cared for him. He told her many times, “What would I do without you?”. Lyle suffered from Parkinson’s disease and a broken hip that he never fully recovered from. Uncle Lyle appreciated the many kindnesses shown to him by his nephew Clell Spellman, his niece Joni (Spellman) Krause and her husband Ken and the rest of the family.

Lyle is survived by two younger sisters, Joan Spellman of Aberdeen and Jeannette Stassel and husband Delano of Sioux Falls, sixteen nephews and nieces, thirty-four great nephews and nieces, twenty great-great nephews and nieces, special friends Pastor George and Jean Shaver; most of whom knew Uncle Lyle as the candy man.

Lyle was predeceased by his parents; his older sister that he adored, Kathlyn and her husband James Ziegler; brother-in-law and chess partner William Dale Spellman; a favorite nephew, James Ziegler and a great-great niece.

Lyle was a great nephew of Father Robert W. Haire, pioneer priest.

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