Rhoda Abbey, 97, of Winner, SD passed away on Sunday, May 19, 2019 at the Avera Rosebud Country Care Center in Gregory, SD. Funeral service will be held on Friday, May 24 ^th , 2019 at 10:30AM at the First Baptist Church in Winner, SD. Burial will follow in the Winner City Cemetery. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral service on Friday.

Rhoda Ione Storrud was born March 1st, 1922 in Hoople, Walsh County, ND to Arnold & Clara Bakken Storrud.  She was the seventh child in a family of thirteen children.  At a young age the family moved to Ward County, ND then to Burke County, ND.  Her older sisters would play school with her, so she could read and write even before starting school.  She attended Liberty School where she would graduate from the eighth grade.

In 1940 she came to South Dakota to help her sister Esther Abbey who had lost her husband, Walter.  She helped Esther with the children and also helped out at local homes.  This is where she would meet Raymond Abbey.  After Pearl Harbor she and Raymond Abbey went to Valentine, Nebraska and were married on December 13th, 1941.

After basic training Raymond was sent to Hattisberg, Mississippi Where he would receive further training.  Rhoda went with him and would later return home when he went to California for desert training.  Raymond shipped out on December 24th, 1942.

She moved with her sister Esther to Winner where she would work at Omaha Cold Storage.  In 1943 Esther and Rhoda moved to Fargo, ND.  During the rest of the war years she worked at Hanson Mfg. sewing duffle bags, ammo pouches, canteen and carbine covers, ect.  When Ray returned from the service they moved back to Carter, SD where she became a farmer's wife and a mother of seven children.

Rhoda was an avid quilt seamstress and reader who enjoyed her crossword puzzles.  They had to be hard ones though, no easy ones.  She enjoyed raising a large garden, planting trees and flowers, and canning vegetables and fruit.  She was also a 4H leader who taught girls in the Diamond 4H Club and the Jolly Workers Club.

All of the grandchildren will remember fondly the time spent at the farm with Grandma.  The chocolate chip cookies and no-bake chocolate cookies.  Coming home from school to the smell of fresh baked bread and cinnamon rolls.

Rhoda is survived by children: Rae (Joseph) Tyburec, Donna Tyburec, Michael (Rene) Abbey, Linda (Allan) Devish, Susan (Nick) Frank, sons-in-law Ron Hespe and Neil Frank Jr; twenty-one grandchildren, forty-five great-grandchildren, nine great-great grandchildren, sister-in-law Dorothy Storrud and brother-in-law Joel Knutson.

Rhoda was proceeded in death by her husband Raymond Abbey, daughters Diane Frank and Barbara Hespe, parents Arnold and Clara Storrud, sisters Lila (Newel) Thomas, Ethel (Irvin) Putzier, Mabel (Kalmer) Brandvold, Esther (Walter) Abbey, Bernice (Chris) Wildhagen, Lois (Dudley) Ballard, Verna Knutson, baby sister Jeanne, brothers Rollin (Rose) Storud, Arthur (Elvela) Storrud, Gerald Storrud, Cecil Storrud, granddaughter Annette Devish, great-granddaughters Lynae Hespe and Shawna Pravecek, son-in-law Frank Tyburec.