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Barbara Rhoades Obituary
Barbara's husband, Dr. Robert G. Rhoades, died in 1984 in Pekin, Illinois.
Barbara leaves five children, Susan (Steven) Saal of Pekin, Robert Rhoades of Daytona Beach, Christan (Melvin) Davis of Boca Raton, Rebecca Rhoades, D.V.M., of Asheville, North Carolina, and Lisa (Terence) Shelly of DeLand; six grandchildren, Austin (Lena) Coggins of Scottsdale, Arizona, Spencer (Gina) Saal of Edwardsville, Illinois, Allison Saal of St. Peters, Missouri, Aubrey (Jared) O'Brien of Peoria, Illinois, Alexis Shindley of Chillicothe, Illinois, and Samantha Shelly of DeLand; and eight great-grandchildren.
Barbara grew up in West Sutton, Massachusetts, as the only child of Henry and Mary Putnam Brink, with her best childhood friends, Wimpy, her horse, and her dog, Jill.
Her deep love of animals continued, with always a dog by her side.
Barbara met and married Dr. Bob when he attended Tufts Medical School, and they settled in Pekin to raise the family.
The Rhoades kitchen was always open to the neighborhood, and everyone who entered felt special and supported.
Barbara easily filled the room with her signature laugh and quick wit. She was an amazing storyteller, sharing tales of the family or simply a distracting side note as she rearranged the board game or played her poker hand.
A mother of mothers, a friend to young and old, fun-loving and undauntingly warm, Barbara will be forever missed, especially as we attempt to re-create one of her signature dishes or when someone brings out the cards or board game to close the night.
There will be a private burial service with no calling hours.
Memorial donations may be made to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, Halifax Humane Society or to a charity of the donor's choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Barbara Rhoades
2 Entries
Nanc Venovich
September 21, 2021
Will always keep fond memories of Barbra and the entire Rhoades family.
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Neal Reid
February 26, 2021
Barb was one of the sweetest and most genuine people you could ever hope to meet. She took me in when I had a housing crisis and needed a place to stay while I was doing an internship at the LPGA with her daughter, Lisa, in the summer of 1998, and I stayed more than a year there in that fun, warm house in DeLand as I began my professional career.
She had the best laugh ever, and I relished any time I could get her chuckling with a sarcastic quip. I'll always remember her chiding me with a "For Pete's sake!" when I told her I hated onions, but then she'd go and make me my own special dish of shepherd's pie without them in it. She also always gave me a hard time when I'd forget to change my bed sheets, as guys are known to forget to do, and that was a running joke of ours for years. She was like another grandmother to me, and I'll always remember watching Jeopardy! together and all the laughs we had.
My heart hurts with this loss, but I'm comforted by the knowledge that she led a great, full life that was filled with love, family and laughter. That's all any of us can hope for.
Rest easy Barb. You were loved.
Neal
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