Rhonda B. Leininger

Rhonda Beth Leininger (Sloan), 57, was called home to be with Jesus on Sunday, March 9, 2025. Rhonda was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 9, 1967, and grew up in Mound, Minnesota. She was an avid soccer player and spent a semester as an exchange student in Germany where she excelled as a goalie. She married the love of her life, Bud, on June 3, 1989, in Minnetonka, Minnesota and they were blessed with two children, Amanda and Alec.

Rhonda raised her children with love as a full-time mom. She was an exceptional cook and was their biggest cheerleader for all their extra-curricular activities. She later became an ACE certified personal trainer and enrolled at Viterbo University where she was pursuing a degree to become a registered dietician.

Rhonda was in a car accident on March 27, 2009, at the age of 41, which resulted in a traumatic brain injury that forever changed the course of her life. For nearly 16 years, she defied all odds.

Rhonda was a faithful servant of the Lord and was re-baptized at Christ Community Church on April 28, 2012, before beginning a series of reconstructive brain surgeries at Mayo Clinic. She loved volunteering at “Kid City” – the church’s nursery – rocking babies to sleep and pushing them up and down the church hallways in a stroller.

Rhonda loved music, and even after her accident could sing her favorite tunes word for word (while dancing, of course!). She attended the SMB Day Program, where she loved crafting, making jewelry, and bowling with many of her friends; she was even featured on the cover of the Rochester Community Education magazine twice, once with her beloved Bud.

Her smile lit up a room and you couldn’t help but laugh when she laughed. A rebel spirit at heart, she loved spontaneous adventures, tic-tac-toe, playing practical jokes and was a bit of a card shark. She loved fiercely and would do anything for her family and those she loved.

She passed peacefully, surrounded by her family – Bud, Amanda and Alec. She will be immensely missed by many. We ask that you remember her for the way she lived her life, full of joy and immeasurable strength, and for the profound impact she had on the lives of those who were lucky enough to know her.

Rhonda was preceded in death by her parents, Marsha and Gary Peickert, her siblings, Teresa, Lorene, Mike and Ron, and her daughter Gwendolynn. She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 36 years, Bud, her children Amanda and Alec, her brother Randy, and many nieces and nephews.

We will be celebrating her life at Christ Community Church in Rochester, MN on Thursday, March 13 at 2 p.m. (4400 55^th Street NW, park in the West parking lot). Rhonda loved bright colors, so please wear something bright and cheerful that would’ve made her smile.