Wayne Dinsmore Lyford, 97, a resident of Riverview Healthcare Center, Flandreau, SD, died September 5, 2023.
Wayne was born on October 30, 1925 at Aberdeen, SD to Reid B. Lyford and Lilly (Wagner) Lyford.  Wayne had three brothers – Reid Jr., Willard and Lynn.  No sisters.
Wayne started country school in Aberdeen, SD.  The family moved to Northwood, IA and Wayne started school there.  The family moved a lot because of his father’s job helping farmers and working for the Federal Government- Soil Conservation program.  Wayne went to different schools through the years until the family settled in private homes around Southern Iowa.  He graduated from high school in Denison, IA.  He attended college in Mt Vernon Iowa – Cornell College.  His major was in journalism with a scholarship in flute performance.  He learned flute when very young in a small town and continued wherever he moved.  A highlight in his music career occurred when he went to Iowa State music contest and got first place in flute and piccolo. Early in life he became interested in printing and learned to set type by hand at a newspaper in Malvern, Iowa. He continued to work for weekly newspapers wherever they moved.
Wayne was drafted but did not pass his physical for WWII due to his poor hearing.  Wayne then went to college at Cornell.  He got a job in Madrid, IA at a newspaper after graduating from college 1949. He was drafted for Korean War and this time he passed his physical. He went to Colorado Spring, CO at Camp Carson for a short time.  Wayne was sent to Korea in March 1952.  He met Dorothy two weeks before being sent to Korea.  He was in the demilitarized zone in Korea – front lines as a reporter assigned to writing hometown news releases about soldiers he interviewed.  What he wrote was sent to the hometown newspaper. His time of service was up in August and he was shipped back to the states.
Wayne and Dorothy communicated by letter.  They were married June 20, 1953.  He went back to his previous job in Madrid, IA at the newspaper.  They were married at the Methodist Church in Boulder, CO.  They had two daughters- Linnea Gale born 11/17/1954 and Cynthia Diane born 8/26/1956.  
They stayed in Madrid, IA for three years.  In 1956 they moved to Brookings, SD where he became the advertising manager at the Brookings Register.  He also did some writing.  Wayne had an opportunity to move to Flandreau in 1964 and they purchased the Moody County Enterprise. Wayne was President of the South Dakota Press Association in 1984-1986.  He had served on the board for prior years.  He was active in the community – Kiwanis, Jaycees, United Methodist Church.
Wayne and Dorothy sold the newspaper and retired in 1986.  They moved to Brookings, SD in 2001.  They traveled during retirement.
Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Dorothy (Stahl); 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; and great grandchildren, Isaac Janssen and Kylee Janssen of Albany, MN.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 16, at the Flandreau United Methodist Church, 210 N. Prairie St, Flandreau, SD. Family present visitation will begin one hour prior to the celebration of life service. Refreshments and a time of fellowship will take place at the  church following the service.