Geraldine "Mae" Rye

Funeral Service for Geraldine "Mae" Rye, 80, of Aberdeen, will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1620 Milwaukee Avenue NE, Aberdeen with Pastor Jeff Whillock officiating.

Burial will take place at Skudesnes Lutheran Cemetery, rural Pierpont, SD.

Schriver's Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, 414 5th Avenue NW, Aberdeen is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Monday, at the mortuary and one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.

Geraldine "Mae" Brubakken was born in the Britton hospital on May 11, 1933, to Erik and Carrie Brubakken. She was the youngest of nine brothers and sisters. Mae graduated from Northern State Teachers College (now Northern State University) in Aberdeen in 1952 and began a teaching career in elementary education in rural schoolhouses in northeast South Dakota.

She married her husband, Elser Allen Rye, in 1953 and they spent the next ten years moving around the U.S. while Elser was in the Air Force. Mae returned to teaching in South Dakota while Elser was posted overseas in Morocco. They moved back to the Roslyn area in 1963 to help with the Rye family farm. She and Elser worked on the family farm and operated Rye's TV & Hardware in Roslyn until 1968. They then moved to Aberdeen in 1968, where Mae worked at several retail businesses before beginning work for the South Dakota Department of Labor until her retirement in 1996. Along the way, Mae picked up another degree in computers from Northern State College. Her husband, Elser, died on August 13, 2004, and Mae continued to live at their home until an illness necessitated her move into ManorCare Health Services of Aberdeen in December 2012. She passed into the loving arms of her God on May 21, 2013, surrounded by family, loved ones, and wonderful caring staff members of ManorCare.

Mae loved her God and her church and was an active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Aberdeen from 1968 until the time of her death. She was a teacher to many, both in and out of the classroom. She loved to play golf in the 1980s and pursued it avidly until other activities took precedence. Mae loved gardening most of all. She and her year round flowering Christmas cactus achieved notoriety in the 90's (she referred to that as her official "15 minutes of fame".)

Mae loved to spend time with her Grace Circle at Bethlehem, with her family and friends in the Aberdeen area, and summers at the family cabin at Pickerel Lake. She also enjoyed the company of her beloved cocker spaniel, Angel.

Mae was preceded in death by her mother, father, brothers, sisters, husband, and one daughter-in-law.

She is survived by her three sons, Gene A. Rye of Midwest City, OK, Don L. Rye and children, Joel and DeDe of Williamsburg, VA and Paul E. Rye of Fargo, ND; and many other relatives and friends.