Lynwood OyosLynwood Earl Oyos, 90, died Thursday, July 20, 2017 in Sioux Falls, SD. Lynwood, son of Oscar and Stella Oyos, was born on May 24, 1927 in Nekoma, ND. He graduated from Nekoma High School in 1945, and immediately after graduating, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Yeoman 3rd class in 1946. Following his return from service, he attended Jamestown College, Jamestown, ND, and received his B.A. degree in 1950. Lynwood was awarded his M.A. in history from the University of South Dakota in 1951. From 1951 - 1955, he taught social studies at Colton High School, Colton, SD. While at Colton, he coached basketball and football and served as principal. It was in Colton where Lynwood met his future wife, Bedia Ann Shaheen, at a boarding house where many of the single teachers resided. Lynwood and Bedia were married on October 18, 1952 in Madison, SD. From 1955 - 1957, he attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE in the doctoral history program, and he was awarded his Ph.D. in history in 1958.In 1957, Lynwood and Bedia made Sioux Falls their permanent home together until Bedia's death in 2006. Lynwood joined the Augustana College faculty in 1957, where he taught history for 37 years. He attained Full Professor in 1964. Known as Dr. Oyos by his students, Lynwood was held in high esteem for his teaching excellence. He was charismatic and energetic in the classroom, and his lecture style became legendary for both history majors and non-majors alike. His love of teaching was evident every time he stood at the podium. Lynwood received several awards in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the classroom, among them recognition as an Outstanding Educator of America, Augustana Faculty-Administrator of the Year Award, Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award, a Danforth Associate and the Orin M. Lofthus Distinguished Professorship. In 2002, he was honored with the SD Governor's Award for History.In addition to his teaching duties, Lynwood served as chair of the History Department from 1964-1991. He was actively involved in campus life and served on several faculty and administrative committees. An avid sports fan throughout his life, he regularly attended Augustana football and basketball games from the start of his career at Augustana through the 2016-17 sports season.He was an active leader in church, professional and civic organizations. This included serving as the Executive Secretary, South Dakota Division of the American Association for the United Nations; State Board of Managers, South Dakota Congress of Parents and Teachers; Sunday school teacher, vice-president and president of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls; board member and chair of the Center for Western Studies, Augustana University; Sheriff and member of the Dakotah Corral, Westerners International. He was a member of the South Dakota Humanities Council for 12 years, a member of the Norwegian-American Historical Association, the American Association for Advancement of Slavic Studies, the American Historical Association and the South Dakota State Historical Society. Lynwood's love of history and passion for research and writing extended beyond the classroom. He authored and co-authored several local and regional histories and published 7 books between 1981 and 2014. He was an active participant in the Dakota History Conference and wrote numerous scholarly articles and monographs which were accepted for publication in various journals.Grateful for having shared his life are his three children, Martin Oyos and his wife, Mary Lobb Oyos, Sioux Falls; Tanya Oyos and her husband Steven Lillehaug, Minneapolis, MN; Matthew Oyos and his wife, Cynthia Wilkey, Abingdon, VA; his grandchildren, Emily, Peter, Gillian and Hayden; and his special friend, Connie Culey, Sioux Falls. He was preceded in death by his wife Bedia, his parents and his brother. Visitation will be Thursday, July 27th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, Sioux Falls. A memorial service will be held at First Lutheran Church on Friday, July 28th at 11:00 a.m. Private family interment will occur prior to the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Oyos History Scholarship Fund, Augustana University or the Center for Western Studies, Augustana University. www.heritagesfsd.com