Roger R. Sayler Sr.

Roger R. Sayler Sr., age 70, of Wakonda, South Dakota, died on Friday, April 5, 2024 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Funeral services are 10:30 AM, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Wakonda United Methodist Church with his wife, Pastor Judy Sayler officiating. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Yankton, South Dakota.  Visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, on Tuesday, April 9 at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton.  Visitation also continues one hour prior to the funeral service at the church.

Pallbearers are Dustin Sayler, Brice Sayler, Duane Carlson, Joe Vyborny, Kevin Sayler and Terry Booe.  Honorary pallbearers are Ron Peterson, Steve Peterson, Jerry Loen, Jim Williams and John Haver.

Roger was born on October 13, 1953 to Marvin and Ardis (Diltz) Sayler.  He grew up with his only brother Larry on the original Sayler homestead farm in Lesterville.   Roger graduated from Scotland High School in 1971 and then attended and graduated from Southeast Technical School with a degree in diesel mechanics.  

His love of toy tractors, excavators and semi-trucks as a boy translated to a career in fixing big machinery as he worked for Tom Jordan Trucking, Missouri Valley Machinery, Butler Machinery, Fred Haar John Deere and finally at Koletzky Implement.  He ended his career by owning and operating a mobile mechanic business, Missouri Valley Maintenance & Repair.  

He married Gladys McKelvey in 1974 and from this union came his greatest pride and joy, his sons Roger Jr. and Robert (Bob) Sayler.  The family moved to Oklahoma in 1982 where Roger worked for Boecking Machinery in the oil fields as a Caterpillar heavy equipment mechanic.  They moved back to South Dakota in 1990 but not before the love of Oklahoma was passed to his sons. While they could never agree on which Oklahoma college team was the best, both sons and Roger Sr. could all agree to root on the Kansas City Chiefs.  

Roger married Judy (Swensen) Sayler in June 2011.   They spent many happy years with friends and their church family in Wakonda.  They enjoyed taking trips together and sitting on the sidelines for his grandchildren’s and her grandchildren’s games.  When Roger’s health issues stopped him from attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, he watched them on TV and would text each of them afterwards to tell them how proud he was. 

Roger never met a person he didn’t like or a story he couldn’t tell, often while his family waited nearby patiently (and sometimes not so patiently 😊). Left to treasure those stories now is his loving family: wife, Judy; son, Roger Jr. and Sabrina Sayler of Jefferson, SD; son, Bob and Kelli Sayler of Elk Point, SD; his five grandchildren: Reed, Connor, Brady, Nathan and Natalie; sister-in-law, Freida Sayler; sister-in-law, Linda (Barry) Placek; along with many nieces and nephews.

Welcoming him to heaven to hear his stories again are his parents, his grandparents and his brother, Larry.