Rhona Bridges Setliff Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Rhona Bridges Setliff (97) of Huntington died at home on April 6, 2022. She was born on November 27, 1924, to Arthur and Edith (Parfitt) Bridges, the youngest of their six children, and grew up in the small village of Farmborough, Somerset County, England. Rhona was an excellent student and was usually top of her class academically; she ran the relay on her school Track team as well as playing Field Hockey. Rhona was an eye witness to and a survivor of the Battle of Britain (1940), distinctly seeing swastikas on the Luftwaffe bombers as they flew low over the southern England countryside. To support the English war effort, Rhona worked in a munitions factory. She met a young American soldier at a dance on the second day of his deployment in England; that soldier was Howard Wilson Setliff of Hurricane, WV. They kept in touch by mail as Howard was moved to other bases in England then on to Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and France, where he participated in the D-Day invasion, and were married at All Saints Church in Farmborough on July 24, 1945. Howard returned home to Hurricane, and Rhona arrived on April 8, 1946; she became a US citizen in 1955. Rhona worked at Sears in Huntington until retiring in 1986 and became an active member of the Sears Retirees Club. She was Past President of the American Legion Huntington Post 16 Women’s Auxiliary and was named West Virginia Volunteer of the Year in 2004. Rhona also volunteered at the Huntington VA Hospital and loved baking her English All Butter Shortbread for the big annual Bake Sale. After retiring, Rhona learned to play Bridge by taking lessons at The Temple in Huntington; she met some wonderful people and made some great friends while playing in various Bridge groups through the years. Her other interests were Marshall Football, reading, cooking, baking, sewing, and knitting. She attended the 26th Street Church of Christ. Rhona was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Edna and Olive, and brothers Les, Jack, and Joe, all of Somerset County, England, and by her husband Howard. She is survived, and will be missed, by her loving family: daughter Lynda (Jim) Summers of Snellville, GA; grand-daughters Tara (Chris) Wieseman of Loganville, GA, and Jessica (Greg) Angle of Winder, GA; four great grand-children Summerlyn and Harrison Wieseman and Owen and Olivia Angle; several nieces and nephews, a special “niece” Judy Napier of Barboursville; a host of friends including her special friends John and Debbie Keyser and Ernestine Adkins of Huntington; and her cat Marco. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make memorial donations to Little Victories Animal Rescue (Ona, WV) https://www.littlevictories.org/support-us/donate-today/ or to the charity of their choice. There will be no visitation. A private graveside service will be held for the family. Henson and Kitchen Mortuary, Huntington, WV, near Barboursville is caring for the family. Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.hensonandkitchen.com

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Rhona Bridges Setliff

November 27, 1924 - April 6, 2022