Monday, June 8, 2020 4:07 pm
Sharon Adonna Delaney Storlie was born April 5, 1939, the only child of Chester Monroe Delaney and Ada Francelia (Frances) Robinson Delaney.
Sharon attended country school in Freeport, where her mother and aunt were teachers. She graduated from Decorah High School in 1957.
She attended Luther College for one year, until she fell for the older brother of a high school classmate who had returned from Korea and aviation school in Miami, Fla.
Sharon married Llewellyn Ordell Storlie Oct. 18, 1958. The newly-weds moved to Tampa, Fla. for Lew’s work. After a year they were back in the Midwest where they built a home in Freeport with wood they cut and milled on a farm Sharon inherited from her aunt.
Sharon gave birth to four children during this time, and she operated the farm with the older children while Lew managed Deco Products in Decorah.
In 1974, Sharon and Lew were very pleased to buy and move their family to the Storlie ancestral farm five miles west of Spring Grove, Minn.
Sharon assisted greatly in farming as they expanded the farm to 400 acres. After all her children could drive, she even went back to school and earned her degree from Luther College in 1990. She served Houston County as a social worker until retiring in 2000.
Sharon enjoyed gardening, beautiful flowers, mowing the lawn, piano, holidays with family, writing and receiving cards, letters, phone calls, attending monthly gatherings with classmates from high school, and Anna Circle at Trinity Lutheran Church. Above all, she loved reading to and playing with her grandchildren. Her family fondly remembers her tea parties and lunch dates.
Throughout her life, she visited her children whenever she could, even traveling alone by bus. After they both retired, Sharon and Lew took many trips to Branson where they attended Molly Busta’s shows. (Sharon said she didn’t wash her cheek for a week after Irish Country singer Danny O’Donnell planted a kiss there at one of his concerts.)
Sharon survived cancer for 10 years and her first stroke for six.
This year, she was taken by ambulance to intensive care at Gundersen Lutheran in La Crosse Jan. 28, after a hemorrhagic stroke and was released to Tweeten Health Care in Spring Grove Feb. 19.
After many months in quarantine, Sharon suddenly began a rapid decline. With the assistance of hospice care, we were able to move her home quickly on Monday. Her entire family was elated to have her with us after months in quarantine so we could visit personally with her.
She passed peacefully with her family around her, singing, reading and praying.
Sharon died at 81 years of age.
Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, Chester and Frances Delaney.
Sharon is survived by her husband Lew; her children: Jillellyn, Chris (Rhonda), John (Jodi) and David (Rachel); grandchildren: Christina (Andrew), Andrew (Laura), Katie, Elyse, Ole, Celia, Liam, Dylan, Ava; and great-grandchildren: Heidi, Jack and Clara.
A private family service is Saturday, June 6, at Roble Funeral Home in Spring Grove. We also will honor Sharon’s life with friends and relatives on a date to be determined. Memorials can be sent to Giants of the Earth Heritage Center, which Sharon cared about dearly.
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.