Sharon Louise Thede

Sharon Louise (Zank) Thede, age 75, of Rochester, MN, died unexpectedly on Sunday, January 8, at Saint Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN. Sharon was born May 20, 1947, in Rochester, MN to Arthur and Marnice (Hein) Zank and baptized in Redeemer Lutheran Church that same year. She grew up in Rochester and attended Trinity Lutheran Elementary School before moving on to Rochester Central Junior High and John Marshall Senior High. Sharon was a tremendously talented artist and had won several awards at area art shows while in high school. After high school she took a position as a professional model in the art department at Stanislaus State College in California but returned to Rochester the next year. Upon her return to Rochester Sharon found work as a server at the coffee shop in the Kahler hotel. During her tenure there she sharpened her people skills while serving many notable customers like Billy and Ruth Graham. Sharon was hard working and ambitious so while working at the Kahler she also took a server position at the newly opened Top Hat Show Room at the Town House restaurant in Rochester. It was while working at the Top Hat that Sharon met Steven Thede. The Top Hat was a show room with a band to back the acts that performed. Steve was brought in to replace the band drummer in October of 1967. On December 28, Steve came into the club on his birthday to have dinner. Sharon was his server. Sparks began to fly, and they began dating a couple weeks later. And thus was the beginning of a fifty-five-year love affair. They were married on November 28, 1968, in Rochester. Sharon was a tremendously creative and deeply artistic person in a way that was natural and could not be taught or learned. She was a natural. She loved and understood shape, color, and function in everything from clothing to furniture to paintings and make-up and jewelry. She managed cosmetic and jewelry departments in up-scale drug stores in Winona and Rochester and her advice was constantly sought after. After several corporate moves they settled in the south metro of the Twin Cities. Here she began to hone her skills as a professional tailor and fashion consultant. She opened A-1 Tailoring by Sharon in Apple Valley and quickly developed a steady client base. She also did work for Cliff Lake Cleaners and Tailors in Eagan where she had a base of executives and state officials. (Bert of Bert's Bees was one of her favorites) Cliff Lake was voted the best cleaners tailors south of the Mississippi. Through all this time Sharon was a tremendous mother to her two sons Scott and Shane. She was extremely proud of both. When the time came for Sharon and Steve to make a final change, they decided they would move back to Rochester. After moving back Sharon continued her tailoring business but eventually had to stop because of her MS. However, she did collaborate with her sister-in-law on some projects most notably designing and fabricating the costumes for the Assisi Christmas Gala for the Sisters of Saint Francis and the Rochester Area Builders, Inc. fashion competition. Sharon was happy to belong to Redeemer Lutheran Church and had touched and was touched by many people. Sharon is survived by her husband, Steven; their children Scott of Prior Lake, MN and Shane of Rochester, MN; grandsons Deitrich and Greyson, and granddaughters Lilli and Betsy, as well as two sisters Lois Kuehn of Grand Meadow, MN and Donna Wilcox of Duluth, MN. She is preceded in death by her parents and two sisters. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, January 21, 2023, at Redeemer Lutheran Church 869 7th Ave SE, Rochester, MN 55904. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will take place at Grandview Memorial Gardens. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Thede family. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com.