Lyle Cornel Leegard

Lyle Leegard, 81, passed away peacefully surrounded by his four children on Tuesday, December 14, 2021. 

Lyle Cornel Leegard was born on May 14, 1940, the son of Anton and Annie (Lee) in Detroit Lakes, MN.  He graduated Detroit Lakes High School as part of the class of 1957 and attended North Dakota State University…. Go Bison!  Lyle and his high school sweetheart Peggy were married on April 23, 1960 at the Methodist Church in Detroit Lakes, MN.  Lyle and Peggy had four children: Michael, Lynn, Suzanne, and Michele. 

Lyle was a dedicated employee and spent his 43-year career at the Minnesota Department of Transportation where he met many of his lifelong friends.  In addition, Lyle and Peggy had the A&W Drive-In restaurant from 1973-1982.  No matter the job at hand, Lyle always demonstrated a strong work ethic.

At the top of the list, football was a passion for Lyle.  Whether the Detroit Lakes Lakers, Minnesota Vikings, and his fan favorite, the NDSU Bison.  Lyle spent the last two Saturdays surrounded by family and friends watching the Bison play and enthusiastically cheering them on.  He loved hunting, fishing, and had a talent for woodworking.  Lyle and Peggy enjoyed many weekends antiquing on the search for some of Peggy’s dish collections.  They also enjoyed traveling and their last memorable trip to Alaska was with good friends and many miles on the road.  Lyle was a great cook, and his specialty was ribs.  He enjoyed hosting rib parties with lots of friends and the grill fired up.  In his later years, he looked forward to the daily breakfast gatherings with “Table 6” and Saturdays at Main Street with Charlie.  Lyle was a lifelong dog lover including his four-legged family members Derby, Rex, Penny, Jeremy, Mitsy and his rescue dog Jake. 

Deeply loved, Lyle’s passing will be mourned by his children Michael (Karen) Leegard, Lynn (Al Schmidt) Leegard, Suzanne (Erik) Osterberg, and Michele (Chris) Sagsveen, his grandchildren Cory, Athen, Jakob, Connor, Kate, and Ben. 

Lyle is preceded in death by his wife Peggy of 60 years, his parents Anton and Annie, sister Jeanette Fingalson and husband Fred.  He is also preceded in death by his loving daughter-in-law, Ann Leegard. 

In Lyle’s honor, the family is requesting memorials to First Lutheran Church where Lyle and Peggy were faithful members for decades, the Richwood Lutheran Cemetery fund or Hospice of Red River Valley in lieu of flowers.  The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff of Pelican Valley Health Center and Hospice of Red River Valley for the amazing care and compassion Lyle received the last weeks of his life. 

Lyle Leegard Memorial Folder