Virgil Ervin Gilyard of Clear Lake, Minnesota passed away on December 10, 2023 at the age of 95. He was born on August 29, 1928 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. 

Virgil attended Santiago Country School, and often told people he never missed a day of grade school.  He graduated from Becker High School in 1946. He graduated from St. Cloud Teachers College with a BA degree in Business. He then served in the US Army from 1953-1955.  He was stationed at Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas. He married Muriel Joy Sorenson, a high school classmate, on September 1, 1952. They were married 44 years. 

Virgil and Muriel resided in Santiago Township throughout their married life. They had four children.  Virgil bought a farm while still in high school, across the road from where he grew up. He started out his married life farming, and in 1960 joined Glenn and Bev Anderson in Becker to start their Anderson-Gilyard partnership. They ran a Chevrolet dealership with complete automotive repair shop, gas pumps, and delivered fuel oil. They started a laundromat, The Washout, with two apartments on the frontage road in Becker, and rented out a building for the Becker Post Office, next to the laundromat. They bought the Garage in Santiago and turned it into a convenience store, now called Santiago Country Store. They built the Tom Thumb convenience store (later became Deli Plus). After the Andersons retired in 1986, Virgil built the Jubilee grocery and liquor store (later Becker Food Pride and Jubilee Liquor). He decided to add propane to the fuel delivery service. He bought and ran the “Coffee Cup” restaurant on the frontage road. Virgil bought the Becker Legion which eventually became “Gily’s” bar/grill and banquet hall. 

Virgil lived and breathed farming, business, and politics. His kids while growing up remember getting “furnace problem” calls in the middle of cold winter nights, and Virgil would head out and fix furnaces for their fuel oil customers. He employed many people in the Becker community over his 60 years in business. He was strong, opinionated, had a good sense of humor, and deeply cared about the welfare of our country and community. Until his last days, he talked about farming with his father and brothers, with horse drawn farm equipment, and playing Santiago town ball and pitching a no-hitter. 

In 2018 Virgil experienced the onset of dementia. His “kids” all joined forces to wind up his business affairs and care for him at home. He spent his last couple days of life at Foley Nursing Home, The Gardens at Foley, with CentraCare Hospice assistance. 

Virgil is survived by his brother Lee and sister-in-law Dorothy, and children Kristine (Patrick) Kelly of Cold Spring, John of Clear Lake, Julie of St. Cloud, and Joel (Christine) of Clear Lake; his grandchildren include Austin, Shaun, and Caitlin (David) Kelly Crowley, and his great grandson John Kelly Crowley. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ervin and Ellen (Gustafson), wife Muriel, and brothers John, Austen, and Elvin, nephew Alan Gilyard, and sister-in-law Joyce Gilyard. 

Virgil requested no funeral.  Burial will be at South Santiago Lutheran Church Cemetery. His family wishes to thank the staff at The Gardens at Foley and CentraCare Hospice for their compassionate care.