Lyle Merle Peters, age 99, Rapid City, died peacefully at Westhills Village Health Care on June 9, 2020 from natural causes.  He was born December 12, 1920 on a farm near Colome, SD to Nick and Ursel (Wygal) Peters.  He was raised in the Colome and Gretna, NE area and graduated from Colome High School in 1939. He attended Nettleton Commercial College in Sioux Falls for two years before moving to Fort Meade, SD in 1941 to work as a clerk stenographer and as an accountant in the commissary.  He also enrolled in night school at Black Hills Teachers College for pilot ground training and became a licensed amateur radio operator.  He enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943 as a Radio Operator and Control Tower Operator and was stationed in Las Vegas, NV.  He met Marvelyn Skretteberg (Lemmon, SD native) at Fort Meade and they were married in Las Vegas on July 17, 1943.  They returned to South Dakota (Rapid City) in 1946.  He worked at Ellsworth Air Force Base for 34 years (the last 20 years as a Deputy Accounting and Finance Officer) before retiring in 1980.

Lyle was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church for 74 years.  He was also very active with the Boy Scouts Black Hills Area Council, Outlaw Ranch Bible Camp, American Field Service Foreign Student Program, Sons of Norway, and the Canyon Lake Senior Center.  He and Marvelyn cofounded the local Survivors of Suicide Support Group after the death of their daughter Lynn in 1990.  He received the coveted Silver Beaver Award for Scouting and the Lutheran Church Lamb Award for service to youth.

He was a passionate bridge player and reveled in competitively playing numerous other card games, board games, and dominos.  He and Marvelyn traveled extensively to visit family, friends, and numerous international destinations.  He was the consummate enthusiast and promotor of the Black Hills and knew all the best fly-fishing spots.

He and Marvelyn moved to Good Samaritan Echo Ridge in 2002 due to her declining health.  He resided in his independent living apartment for 17 comfortable years (the last 4 enabled by the compassionate CAREGivers from Home Instead).  Declining health required him to transfer to skilled nursing at Westhills Village where he received exceptional care.

He was preceded in death by his wife Marvelyn (2002), daughter Lynn (1990) and grandson Thad Deuter (2014).  He is survived by his son Dr. Wayne Peters (Aimee) of Denver, CO, daughter Nicki (Tom) Frappier of Fargo, ND, 4 grandchildren (Kayla Frappier Danielson, Zachary Frappier, Joshua Deuter, and Nathan Deuter), 8 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild.

A private family service will be held at the Black Hills National Cemetery under the direction of the Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for the Outlaw Ranch Bible Camp (Lutherans Outdoors South Dakota, 2001 S Summit Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57197) and the Youth Fund at Trinity Lutheran Church (402 Kansas City Street, Rapid City, SD  57701).  Condolences can be sent care of:  Wayne Peters, 645 North Marion Street, Denver, CO 80218.