The 130-year history of Sanford Health is filled with iconic names and their stories of progress and momentum. Through them all though, one name stands out as a beacon of visionary leadership, compassion and kindness.
Lyle Schroeder, who served president of Sioux Valley Hospital (now Sanford USD Medical Center) from 1961 to 1997, touched the lives of thousands through his bold ideas, his belief in the human spirit, and his transformational generosity.
Schroeder passed away on Tuesday, August 13, at Ava’s House. He was 89. He leaves behind an enduring legacy of care whose impact will be felt for generations to come.
A story of determination and connection
A native of Pipestone, Minnesota, Schroeder began his career with Sioux Valley while he was a student at Augustana University.
Working nights in maintenance and laundry, Schroeder did everything from unclogging toilets to changing light bulbs, hauling oxygen tanks and collecting garbage for some of the very people he would eventually lead.
“But the thing that impressed me was that everybody was so friendly,” Schroeder said in a 2019 interview with Sanford Health News. “And it didn’t really make any difference who (you were) or what you were doing, you were accepted as one of the employees. I sure did appreciate that.”
It was a professional culture that stayed with him — and inspired his future aspirations.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in hospital administration, Schroeder returned to Sioux Valley to serve as assistant administrator before taking over the head position in 1961. He said his prior experience — and the relationships he built — served him well in his new role.
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I had a good relationship knowing what was going on in the lives of those people. I could relate to the job that they had and what work they were doing here, and I appreciated what they were doing for the hospital.
Schroeder’s first task was a major building project — the three-story “west wing” for the crowded hospital.
It was the first of many significant projects Schroeder would lead in response to the growing needs of a growing city. For each endeavor he led, he relied on answers to three key questions.
“I had three questions that I always asked when we talked about any growth or any new program,” Schroeder told Sanford Health News. “The first question: Is it needed? The second question: Can we do it well? And the third question is: Can we be price-competitive with everybody else? If the answer was yes on all of those, then we would do it.”
A calling to care
Beyond his visionary leadership, Schroeder was known for his sense of humility and his ability to connect with people.
In addition to walking through the hospital units daily to connect with staff, Schroeder made a point to connect with patients as well.
“I always had an objective that each day I should visit a patient, because if I didn’t, then I may forget why we were here and who we were here for,” Schroeder said.
“I always used to tell the employees that what we ought to do is take care of every person that we have as a patient. If it’s an elderly person, think of them as your mother or your father or your sister. Or if it’s a young person, one of your own children. That if we took care and treated everybody as if they were a part of our family, then we would probably give them pretty good care.”
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Lyle’s impact is impossible to measure. He was so much more than just a leader, he was a friend to everyone who knew him. He was so genuine and so caring — he truly did live his life by the Golden Rule, treating everyone like they were family. At the same time, his intellect, his determination and his vision for what could be were simply remarkable. In a world of well-traveled pathways, Lyle blazed so many trails for this organization and for health care in general. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to know him, and I’ll forever treasure our friendship and all the lessons he taught me along the way.
President & CEO, Sanford Sioux Falls
A generous heart
While Schroeder worked to build and develop Sioux Valley Hospital’s physical presence and its offerings, he also understood the important role philanthropy could play in advancing its mission of care.
In addition to leading the creation of the Sioux Valley Foundation (now Sanford Health Foundation) to help inspire and steward charitable gifts, Schroeder was also a passionate supporter, donating generously over his lifetime to support everything from building projects to the Employee Crisis Assistance Program, pediatrics, staff education, hospice and so much more.
In honor of his retirement in 1997, his colleagues helped establish an endowment in his name to recognize his commitment to education.
“Lyle has always felt that Sioux Valley Hospital should excel in imparting information to health sciences professionals, students and the public,” his colleagues wrote at the time. “(This endowment) seems such a perfect tribute to Lyle’s 36 years of service to Sioux Valley and his part in the rise of Sioux Falls as a prominent health care center.”
Today, the Lyle E. Schroeder Excellence in Education Endowment has grown to nearly $250,000 and provides sustaining support to initiatives such as employee education, wigs for cancer patients, healing arts, patient lodging, occupational medicine and annual certifications, including our distinction as South Dakota’s only Centering Pregnancy Program provider.
Schroeder and his wife, Betty, were members of the Foundation’s Honors Society, a community of donors who have given significant gifts over their lifetimes, as well as Foundation’s Legacy Society, those who have made Sanford Health part of their lasting legacies through a planned gift.
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Lyle embodied the essence of a servant leader, giving not just of his ideas and time, but of his very self to help others succeed. His visionary ideas, including the creation of our Foundation in 1984, helped spark significant growth and development, his passion for human connection helped shape our culture of kindness, and his generosity has made a difference in the lives of countless patients and caregivers in extraordinary ways. While we mourn Lyle’s passing, we remain grateful for all the ways he made an impact, and we take comfort in knowing his legacy of care will live on for generations to come.
Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Sanford Health Foundation
Memorial gifts
You are invited to make a gift in Lyle’s memory. 100% of your gift to the Sanford Health Foundation will touch the lives of local patients and families right here in our community, extending Lyle’s legacy of care and compassion.