Sharon was born on April 17, 1948, in Sturgis, South Dakota, as the oldest child of Hazel and Leslie (Swede) Edlund. She attended grade school in Spearfish and graduated from Sturgis High School in 1966.
After high school, she worked in the kitchen at Ft. Meade in Sturgis. During this time, she met Charles (Bud) Rank, who would become her lifetime love and partner. Sharon and Bud were married in 1968, and they celebrated their fifty-sixth wedding anniversary shortly before her death. To their loving union were born four children: Gerald (Jerry), Scott, Michael, and Janell.
The family lived on a ranch near Newell until 1975 when they moved to Sturgis. Bud worked at the Whitewood Post and Pole and later Homestake Mine. Sharon provided childcare in her home for about eight years, which allowed her to stay close to her children as they grew up. She was a tender, caring, and loving mother and caregiver to all the children who passed through her home. However, she was also tough when she needed to be. Her three boys occasionally forced the appearance of the wooden spoon.
Sharon was active in the Sturgis community through Grace Lutheran Church, little league, providing breakfast at the motorcycle rally, and many other activities too numerous to count.
In 1991, Sharon opened a new chapter in her life and enrolled in Black Hills State University. She graduated with a human services degree in 1996 and worked at a nursing home. After that, she worked in the school nurse’s office in the Sturgis School District. The students gravitated to Sharon due to her warm, wholesome, and caring demeanor. It was not uncommon for children to fake illness just so they could go to the nurse’s office for a kind word, hug, or mint from Sharon to brighten their day.
Sharon enjoyed gardening, flowers, and crocheting. But most of all she enjoyed her four children and seven grandchildren. She talked often about how proud she was of the wonderful adults her children had become. She kept herself busy following her grandchildren’s many activities and loved to spoil them. She was constantly making them chocolate chip bars, crocheting them special blankets, or hosting sleepovers with morning donuts at Weimers. For her children and grandchildren, and numerous other children that Sharon comforted or cared for over the years, she was a blessing and an angel.
Bud and Sharon moved to Rapid City in 2021 and resided at Arrowhead in Rapid City.
Sharon went to her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the age of 76, at Fountain Springs Healthcare and Nursing Home, Rapid City, SD.
She is survived by her husband: Bud Rank; daughter: Janelle (Jake) Kleinschmidt; and son: Jerry (Tina) Rank of Rapid City, SD; son: Scott (Bobbi) Rank of Winner, SD; son: Michael (Lisa) Rank of Salt Lake City, UT; grandchildren, Abby (Westley) Siebdrath, Hannah and Carson Rank, Adelaide and Stella Kleinschmidt, and Cole and Shannon Rank; siblings, Sandy (Bill) Bever, Darwin (Dana) Edlund, and Duane (Donna) Edlund; sister-in-law, Jan Edlund; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Hazel and Leslie (“Swede”) Edlund, brother, John Edlund, and infant son, Vernon David Rank.
Visitation is Sunday, April 28, 2024, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Kinkade Funeral Chapel, Sturgis, SD.
Funeral services will be Monday, April 29, 2024, 10:30 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
