PIERRE, S.D. (Press Release) – Governor Kristi Noem has ordered flags at the South Dakota State Capitol to be flown at half-staff from 8 a.m. until sunset on Monday, November 11, 2019, to honor the life of Gene Abdallah, a former legislator.

Abdallah served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2001-2002, and 2011-2012. In 2002, he was elected to the South Dakota Senate where he served until 2010.

Apart from his work in the State Legislature, Abdallah was the longest-serving U.S. Marshal in South Dakota history and served as head of the South Dakota Highway Patrol for five years.

“Gene was a South Dakota institution,” said Noem. “He was a force to be reckoned with and a lifelong supporter of our state’s law enforcement. We served together in the State Legislature… he was a friend. He will be missed.”

A funeral mass for Abdallah will be held on Monday, November 11, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sioux Falls.