Lyle William O’Rourke, 86, died Sunday, December 26, 2021 at the Hans P. Peterson Memorial Hospital in Philip, South Dakota.

Lyle was born August 14, 1935, the first-born son of Lloyd O’Rourke and Velma Rose (Jacobs) O’Rourke. He was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota and raised along the White River from Interior to Imlay. He attended grade school at the Leiby School, Conata School and Interior Grade School and graduated from Interior High School in May of 1954.

Lyle and Jan Lytle O’Rourke knew each other their whole lives and started dating when they were in high school. They were married August 28, 1954 in Miles City, Montana. They were inseparable from the start, where you saw one you saw the other and they were always dressed so sharp when going out. Lyle was old school with his manners and respective ways. He rarely said a cuss word and was kind and generous in his demeanor. He was a cowboy by nature and got his love of horses from his father, Lloyd and his grandfather, Tom O’Rourke. He never missed a bronc match or a rodeo and his TV was always on the Cowboy Channel. His love for horses ran deep in many areas. He loved raising them, racing them, training them and watching his kids take some wild rides on a few or even creating that wild ride. If you had not heard him say, “Hell you’re fine, get up and get back on” then you had not been riding horses with Lyle. He especially liked watching his kids and grandkids participate in his love of horses. The most important thing to Lyle was his family, kids, grandkids, his sisters and his brother and his community which he never lived more than five miles from the White River his whole entire life. He was a Badlands cowboy through and through.

Lyle is survived by his children, Kathy (Boyce) Kennedy, Thomas (Lori) O’Rourke, Brady (Lane) O’Rourke, and Lisa Fulton, his sisters Midge Johnston, Kay (Ed) Reed, and his brother, Chuck (Betty) O’Rourke, his grandchildren, Miranda Feather, Megan Kennedy, Whitney (Charlie) Risse, Joe Kennedy, Sadie(Dawson) Jandreau, Jake Fulton, Tucker O’Rourke, Jared Fulton, Jace O’Rourke, John Lloyd Fulton, and great granddaughter, Collins Kennedy and special friend, Ronda Wilkins.

Lyle was preceded in death by his spouse, Jan Lytle O’Rourke, his parents Lloyd and Rose O’Rourke, sister, Rose Marie O’Rourke-Lester, Donna Lee and Phylis Jean O’Rourke, brothers, John Lloyd and Mike O’Rourke, son-in-law, Brian Fulton, brother- in-laws, Gary Lester, Lane Johnston, Glenn Hamm, Bill Walker, Danny O’Connell, Ronnie Heathershaw and Robert Crawford, sister-in-laws, Marilyn Walker and Kay O’Connell.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 29th from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., at Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home, followed by a prayer service at 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the Interior Gym in Interior, South Dakota. Burial will be at Pine Lawn Memorial Park in Rapid City, South Dakota following services.