Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Avon. Burial will be in the Trinity Presbyterian Cemetery, rural Avon, with military honors. Visitation will be Monday from 4 to 7 at the church, followed by a prayer service. Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home of Avon is in charge of the arrangements.

Thorwald (Shorty) Raysby was born to Paul C. and Louise (Ritter) Raysby on June 3, 1924, South of Avon, SD. He died in Sioux Falls, SD, a brief resident of Dougherty hospice center on Thursday, January 17, 2013.

Shorty attended grade school at Trumbo rural school south of Avon. He then farmed with his father until he entered the US Navy on June 19th, 1944. He served in the Pacific theater from the Philippines through Okinawa and was honorably discharged in May of 1946. After coming home he returned to farming with his father.

March 1st of 1951 he married Cora Hubner and they moved to a farm west of Avon. He continued farming and also ran a repair shop in Avon from 1959 to 1961. Three children were born of this union, Audrey, Karl, and Keith. In 1962 the family moved to the farm north of Avon where Shorty farmed for 50 years until he retired and remained living on the farm until his death. Shorty was a member of the Arthur Wissman Legion Post.
Shorty enjoyed a rich and fulfilling life. He greatly enjoyed solving problems and inventing solutions to resolve the challenges that arose on the farm. Among many of his inventions was a portable welder using a 1941 Buick engine for a power source which he then used to do welding work for many local farmers and businesses.

Shorty enjoyed all aspects of farming. He was fond of the animals on the farm but most especially his dog Roscoe. However Shorty's greatest joy in life was his family which he spent the golden years of his retirement enjoying.

Thankful for having shared his life is his wife Cora, daughter Audrey and husband Ray Voigt of Avon SD, two sons; Karl and his wife Sandy of Tyndall, SD and Keith and his wife Candy of Norfolk, NE. The extended family includes 8 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, 8 step grandchildren, and 1 great, great grandchild which all together were a great source of pride and enjoyment for Shorty. Shorty is also survived by his twin brothers: Neil and wife Darlene of Geddes and Noel and wife Mary of Tyndall; sister, Zona Robsahm and husband Leon of Sioux Falls; three sisters-in-law: Neva Raysby of Avon, Lois Raysby of Tyndall and Vivian Hubner of Tyndall.

Shorty was preceded in death by his parents, parents in-law (Alex and Rosa Hubner) and two brothers, Lawrence and Gordon.