HURON — Lynette G. Sheffield, PhD, 57, of Huron and formerly of Wessington Springs, passed away Tuesday, July 19, 2017, at SunQuest Healthcare Center in Huron after battling ovarian cancer for more than 12 years.
A memorial service to celebrate Lynette’s life will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, August 5, at the Welter Funeral Home in Huron with inurnment following in Restlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery. Memorial visitation with the family present will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, August 4, at the Welter Funeral Home or one hour prior to her memorial service on Saturday.
Lynette G. Sheffield was born February 17, 1960, in Wessington Springs to LuVerne and Arlene (Kraft) Sheffield. She attended school in Wessington Springs and Wolsey and graduated from Wolsey High School in 1978. Lynette attended Concordia College in Moorhead Minn. graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Music in 1982. She continued her education in music at the University of Iowa and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Piano Performance in 1984. Lynette taught piano using the Suzuki method in Iowa City following her graduation. While she was working on her Master’s Degree and teaching piano she worked part-time in the neuroanatomy lab at the University of Iowa and turned her focus to research of the brain. She attended the Kansas University Medical School in Kansas City studying the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease. While in graduate school she received the P.E.O. Scholar Award. Lynette graduated with a Doctorate in Anatomy in 1998.
Dr. Sheffield joined the research staff at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate in Brooklyn, New York in 1998 and achieved the rank of Research Assistant Professor. She supervised neuropathology fellow research projects, taught neuroanatomy to SUNY Downstate medical students and performed research in brain anatomy including studies related to Alzheimer’s disease and Epilepsy. Dr. Sheffield’s original research papers were published in peer reviewed scientific journals. Her research and teaching work continued several years after her cancer diagnosis. In addition to her passion for research, Lynette was an accomplished pianist, active photographer and enjoyed crocheting, needlepoint, time with her family and her cats. She was also active in T.E.A.L. (Tell Every Amazing Lady about ovarian cancer) and helped with the Brooklyn T.E.A.L. walks.
Lynette is survived by two sisters, Carla (Bruce) Micheel of Cavour, SD, and Jan Wiersma of Beaufort, SC; one brother, Daryl (Diana) Sheffield of Grove City, Ohio; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; grandparents; and brother-in-law, Lee Wiersma.
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