Lyle W. Sillman

Lyle W. Sillman, 84, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away Saturday, September 21, 2024, at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen, following a short illness.

Lyle W. Sillman was born to Herman and Palma (Johnson) Sillman in Canby, Minnesota, on February 21, 1940. He grew up in a large family, in the middle of six sisters and four brothers.

Lyle enlisted in the Army in 1961 and was stationed in Germany. When he left the Army, he moved to Aberdeen, SD, where he met, then married, his wife of 59 years, Virginia Harty on February 27, 1965. They welcomed their daughter, Denise, in 1967.

He was a service station attendant at Jay’s Gas Station in Aberdeen. They moved to Milbank in 1966, where he worked at North Star gas station. He then started a 30-plus-year career as an over-the-road truck driver, with the majority of those years with Ken’s Transfer in Milbank. It was there that he met many of his lifelong friends and was best known by his CB handle, “Teddy Bear.” This career took him to every state in the continental United States.

In 2012, Lyle started to lose his vision. They decided to move from Milbank back to Aberdeen to be near Denise and her husband Lowell Punt, and granddaughters Emily and Erin.

Erin, and husband Brady Hallenbeck, blessed Lyle with great granddaughter Lyla Elizabeth this past July. His family will continue to grow, with Emily and husband, Nick Backman, expecting a baby girl due on Christmas Day, which was also Lyle’s mother’s birthday. His great grandchildren, Dylan, Harper and Declan, children of Tonya and Dave Grandstaff, will always remember him for sharing crisp $ bills with each of them during their visit every summer.

Lyle was avid outdoorsman. His hobbies included camping, fishing, deer hunting and watching John Wayne movies. His nephew, Darren Schumacher, and niece, Dawn Malsam, shared his deer hunting passion and were instrumental in continuing that tradition with his granddaughters.

Lyle was a man of few words, but he never hesitated to share how proud he was of his family.

Lyle’s wishes were to be buried in the Sioux Falls Veterans Cemetery. A committal service with military honors will be held there at a later date.

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