Dorothy Marguerite Lyford, 96, a resident of Edgewood Assisted Living, Flandreau, SD, died May 13, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 11:00AM at Christ the King Free Lutheran Church, Pipestone, MN. Family present visitation will begin one hour prior to the Celebration of Life at 10:00AM. Refreshments and a time of fellowship will take place at the church following the service.
Dorothy Marguerite Stahl was born on August 30, 1928 at Lamar, Colorado to Karl Henry Stahl and Hattie Otella (Stenzel) Stahl. She had two brothers, Raymond and John.
Dorothy graduated from California High School in California, Pennsylvania in 1945. She graduated from Colorado University in 1949 with a degree in Sociology. She worked in the Records Office at Colorado University until her marriage.
It was on a blind date in 1952 that Dorothy met Wayne. Two weeks later he was sent to Korea. They communicated by letter during that time. They were married June 20, 1953 at the Methodist Church in Boulder, CO. They made their home in Madrid, IA where she was a homemaker and Wayne worked at the newspaper. They had two daughters, Linnea Gale born November 17, 1954 and Cynthia Diane born August 26, 1956.
They stayed in Madrid, IA for three years. In 1956 they moved to Brookings, SD. They had an opportunity to move to Flandreau in 1964 and they purchased the Moody County Enterprise. Dorothy was actively involved in the business and kept books along with raising their girls. She was active in the community and the United Methodist Church. Dorothy was a 71-year active member of PEO (philanthropic educational women’s organization).
Dorothy was an avid painter; a hobby she was gifted with and enjoyed immensely. She studied painting at South Dakota State University and the Scottsdale (Arizona) Artists School. Her talents did not go unnoticed and soon community members were commissioning her to paint portraits of their children. This subject matter was her preference and specialty. The Community Center Painting’s Celebrating the Life of Flandreau from 1869 to 1989, were painted by Dorothy.
Dorothy and Wayne sold the newspaper and retired in 1986. They moved to Brookings, SD in 2001.They spent time traveling during their retirement.
Survivors include daughters, Linnea (Roger) Janssen of Flandreau, SD and Cynthia (Brian) Holmberg of Richfield, MN; grandsons, Jeremiah Janssen (Kara Lindberg) of Boise, ID and Zachary Janssen (Kathryn Gonsior) of Albany, MN; great-grandchildren, Isaac Janssen and Kylee Janssen of Albany, MN; brother, John (Kitty) Stahl of Holland, MI; and a special nephew, Bill (Karin) Stahl of Simsbury, CT.
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