Lyle was born in Lyman County SD to Carl 'Art' and Lulu Peterson in 1915. He grew up in rural Lyman county and attended country schools and graduated from Reliance High School. He and his older brothers worked many odd jobs such as CCC, field work in Iowa, traveling shows, etc to support the family. He enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1942 and served in Texas as flight mechanic. His brother Carl was killed in South Pacific on July 18 1943.
He met his wife Leola at a high school carnival and they corresponded for two years while he was away in the Army/Airforce. He married Leola Schaefer July 3 1946 at his parents home. The young couple rented a farm east of Reliance until 1951 when they purchased a farm north of Lower Brule. In 1963 they lost over half of their acreage when the Big Bend Dam was built. Lyle became the Postmaster at Lower Brule in 1965 and retired in1989. He also grew many crops and raised cattle on the ranch.
Lyle and Leola were blessed with nine children-7 girls and 2 boys. They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1996 in Nebraska surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Lyle was well known as the 'Candy Man' as he always had a pocket full of candy. His nightly ritual involved an ice cream cone that he would make and ask if anyone else wanted one. He was an avid card player from 'Pitch to Tripoli' he was always ready to play. He was a member of the Reliance American Legion for over 50 years. He was dependable and helped many less fortunate over the years when he was able to.
He died at the Chamberlain hospital surrounded by his family. His funeral was held at the Methodist Church in Reliance and he was buried at the Reliance cemetery. His headstone has the outline of the 'little bend' area where the ranch is located and surrounded by the Missouri river.