Full Obituary

    Elaine Ruth Suda, age 90, of Thorp, WI, passed away with Comfort Care at Stanley Hospital on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.  Visitation will be on Friday, May 26, 2023 from  9:30 -11:00 at Thorp Funeral Home, followed by a Christian service beginning at 11:00 with Randy VanDeLoo officiating.  Burial will follow at St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Thorp, WI and lunch after at St. Bernard’s Church.  Family & friends are invited to attend and share in the celebration of Elaine’s life.  
    Born in Stanley Hospital April 24, 1933 to Albert & Clara (Nelson) Lee, Elaine’s 90 year journey went full circle beginning and ending in the Stanley Hospital.  As a child she lived in Gilman, Manitowoc & Thorp, graduating in 1951 from Thorp High School.  After High School she did clerical work at Thorp Finance.
    She married Theodore (Ted) Suda on September 9, 1952 and together they ran a huge dairy farm in the Town of Reseburg.  As a young bride the idea of learning to milk cows was more exciting than the reality of doing milking for 26 years and she vowed to never have her daughter learn this skill.  Ted & Elaine loved card playing (pounding the table), bowling, dancing, picking berries, fishing and time with friends & relatives.   Along with active farm life she also worked again at ITT in Thorp for 5 years.  After the farm sale she worked for Claire Milliren helping in income tax preparation.
    In 1983 she & Ted purchased Cardinal Bowl in Thorp and operated it together for 2 years, proficiently bowling & playing sheepshead with customers.  Ted suddenly passed away in 1985.  She quickly had to adjust to operating the business herself for another 8 years with the help of employees, her favorite/only son-in-law Mike Wirtala and brother Ed Lee.  
    After retiring she spent her second lifetime with Alvin (Bill) Valk, her companion for the next 33 years.  Most summers they lived in Holcombe, WI enjoying fishing, camper life & their many friends at the campgrounds, while wintering in Zephyrhills, FL and travelling sunshine places from 1993-2019. With Bill’s health declining a moving transition began and she lived with her daughter, Linda, in Thorp for October 2019 and lived 3 months in Shorewood, WI at an assisted living place for Bill.  In February 2020 she moved to Morgan Plaza, Thorp.  Sadly, her more than daily phone calls with Bill ended at his passing in June of 2021, but she had an established community of caring friends at Morgan Plaza where she resided until her death.  She warmly welcomed those around her and called wherever she was, home.
    She was amazed that her small family of one child, grew to be 4 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.  She also enjoyed and was welcomed into her extended Valk family.
    Elaine is survived by her daughter Linda (Mike) Wirtala of Thorp; four grandchildren: Lana (John) Ciolkosz of Thorp, Nels (Colette) Wirtala of Gilman, Beth (Eric) Vrablic of Chippewa Falls and Levi (Althea) Wirtala of Thorp; 17 great-grandchildren: Elena, Jacob, Anna, Jaden, Elise & Audra Ciolkosz, Mykel, Vanessa, Bristol & Thor Wirtala, Merrell, Myra & Selah Vrablic, and Evelyn, Alice, Eleanor & Avonlea Wirtala. She is further survived by her brother Bernard Lee of Duluth, MN.
    She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 33 years Theodore Albert Suda , her companion of 33 years  Alvin William Valk and 3 brothers John Lee & Glenn Lee both of Duluth and Edward Lee of Thorp.