Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Lyle Ward was killed in a motorcycle crash while attempting to overtake a car on Highway 200. He was attempting to pull a vehicle over when his motorcycle hit sand in the roadway, causing it to go out of control. Deputy Ward had been hired only ten days earlier, because of his motorcycle experience, to combat speeders on county highways.
Survivors
He was survived by his daughter, mother, sister, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MT-10361B8E- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Ward served with the Missoula County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Missoula community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Ward.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Lyle Ward is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MT, 34 of 142 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Missoula County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lyle Ward's cause is highlighted.
How Lyle Ward Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lyle Ward is highlighted in Mar.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Missoula County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
