Lynn Sanderson

Mass of Christian Burial for Lynn Sanderson, 60, of Conde will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Turton. The Rev. Mike Kelly will officiate. Burial will follow in St. John's Catholic Cemetery of Conde, under the direction of Paetznick-Garness Funeral Chapel of Groton.

Visitation will be held at the church from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, May 6.

Lynn was born Sept. 2, 1952, the second of three boys to Richard Owen and Arda Mae (Grimes) Sanderson. He attended a one-room country schoolhouse until fourth grade, when he transferred to Conde Public School. He graduated from Conde High School in 1970 and earned his BS in Range Management from South Dakota State University in 1974. He married his high school sweetheart, Rosemary Barondeau, on Sept. 7 that same year. The couple made their home in rural Conde, where Lynn purchased land in Day County and joined his father's farm operation. Lynn and Rosemary have spent the past 20 years in her childhood home, lovingly renovating the farmhouse in keeping with its 1906 character.

Lynn was a skilled and passionate pilot who earned his license at age 17 and flew for the SDSU skydiving team. His first plane was a one-seater with a Volkswagen engine. He purchased his Zenair experimental aircraft in 2001 and later sold it so he could build his own DreamAircraft Tundra - the first airborne in the United States. He is in the Experimental Aircraft Association history books for flying his Tundra in the Homebuilt Review at AirVenture 2010. Lynn always was ready to take neighbors up to look for a lost calf, to shoot aerial photos of surrounding farms, or simply to give them the view from above - and maybe instill in them the same excitement he felt for flight.

Lynn was a gifted songwriter and guitarist. He wrote what he knew: love, family and life in the Crandall foothills. He performed his original pieces at many "Crandall Opry" shows during annual Crandall Fest celebrations. A member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, he also played for Mass, accompanied by Rosemary on piano or organ. He had a soft heart for all living things - people, animals and plants. He adopted Tude, the orphan kitten; Sunny, the lame horse; and Tripod, the three-legged calf.

Lynn was conscientious of the environment in his farming and living, long before the green movement. He hung solar panels on his home's roof, switched to no-to-low-till farming, worked to offset carbon emissions and welcomed family and friends to hunt so long as they followed population-control limits. Lynn was logical and fair-minded. He believed in solving problems by talking things through - often with himself. He took a creative approach to farming, looking for new directions: potatoes, edible beans, watermelon and onions in addition to wheat, barley, soybeans and the corn crops that engaged him as an active ethanol producer and advocate.

Lynn served on the Conde Public School Board for several years. As Chairman, he handed his daughter Andria her diploma with a hug. Even after his terms ended, he stayed involved in the life of the school. He was one of the community members asked to testify before the South Dakota Legislature in favor of preserving the school district. He helped guide the legal and funding aspects of transitioning the Area Volunteer Fire Department from a township- to county-based organization and also sat on its board.

Lynn's family wishes we had more time with him, but we are grateful to have shared his life. We will imagine him in every plane we hear overhead. He is survived by his wife, Rosemary, and their three children and families - Jennifer, Rob and Dane Hyk; Andria, Chris and Margot Bender; and Jacob and Hunter Sanderson. Lynn also is survived by his parents, Richard (Dorothy) Sanderson and Arda (Densley) Zambo; brother, Dana (Brenda) Sanderson; stepbrothers John (Lana) Phillips, Jerry (Kathy) Phillips and Jim (Lynn) Phillips; stepsister Kathy Zambo (Dale Lesmeister); mother-in-law, Clara Barondeau; brothers- and sisters-in-law Lou (Candy) Barondeau, Dwain (Judy) Barondeau and Margie (Dale) Washnok; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Lynn was preceded in death by his brother, Mike Sanderson; stepsister, Patty Ringgenberg; father-in-law, Lewis Barondeau; and several aunts and uncles.

Casketbearers will be Greg Bonn, Leslie "Bud" Bruckner, Mike Dell, Duane Hemmah, Ralph Lindner and Mark Wattier. Honorary casketbearers will be Forrest Grimes, Freddie Grimes, Dale Lesmeister, John Phillips, Jerry Phillips, Jim Phillips, Don Sanderson and Brian Sanderson.

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