Lucy Ware Rodes

Lucy Ware Rodes, age 91, of Lexington, Kentucky, died August 1, 2025 in Roswell, Georgia.

Lucy was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky by John Clark "Pete" Ware and Eddie Bradley Stoll Ware. She attended the public school system there and was a member of the 2 nd Presbyterian Church. Upon her mother's untimely passing, her grandmother, Mary Bruce Ware, helped raise Lucy until her father married Martha Collier Ware who then took on that role as her stepmother.

During the second grade in 1940, Lucy met fellow second grader Robert (Bob) Rodes who would become her husband sixteen years later. Lucy earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She and Bob married in 1956, and they had two sons, Robert and Allen. She dedicated herself to raising her children and to supporting Bob as he pursued the PhD that would open the way for his college teaching career, at Drew University in Madison, NJ starting in 1966. There they became members of the Madison Presbyterian Church.

Later, Lucy furthered her own education by earning an MS degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and she worked as a volunteer coordinator for patient activities at King James Nursing Home. In 1988, she became the first Activities Director for "Time Out", a social adult day/respite care center in Madison.

Upon Bob's retirement from Drew University in 1995, Lucy and he moved to Brevard, NC. There they became active members of the community, volunteering for a number of worthy causes and enjoying the arts, music and outdoor opportunities available there. They were also active members of St Phillip's Episcopal Church.

To be closer to their son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandsons, and to take advantage of some of the services provided at St. George Village, a progressive care community, Lucy and Bob moved to Roswell, Georgia in 2013. They also joined Roswell Presbyterian Church. She was a regular attendee at many ball games, grandparents' teas, piano recitals and other activities her grandsons participated in, and was able to attend both of their high school graduations and see them head off to college.

Lucy's compassion for others manifested itself in many ways and was a source of solace for her in challenging times, including during the period after the premature death of her son Allen. She took a lifelong interest in underprivileged children through her support of Save the Children. Her interest in eldercare came to fruition in her work with others to create Timeout, an adult daycare center in Madison. Her love of animals led her to participate in St. Hubert's Giralda's pet therapy program in Madison, where she and Bob would take certified cats and dogs to visit people in the hospital. It also inspired her to advocate for and support the construction of a state-of-the-art animal shelter in Brevard. She and Bob also were sponsors of the construction of a new library in Brevard.

Lucy channeled her great creativity into many activities throughout her life. Her interest in the arts found expression in her paintings and weavings. Her love of music took the form of singing in the choir at Lexington's 2 nd Presbyterian Church and continued all the way thorough her time at St. George where she sang with The Villagers and played musical instruments with the Band Aids. She mastered a number of instruments throughout her life including the guitar, dulcimer, ukulele and recorder. Lucy greatly enjoyed attending the classical concerts performed each summer at The Brevard Music Center. Additionally, she delighted in opportunities to take arts and crafts related classes at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown North Carolina.

Over the past 3 years, Lucy suffered from a progressive lung ailment. We would like to thank all of Lucy's caregivers at Wellington Court in St. George Village for their support in helping Lucy maintain as much independence as possible and pursuing the activities that were meaningful to her, including on her last day with us, when she passed away quietly in the evening in her apartment with Bob by her side.

Lucy is pre-deceased by her grandmother, Mary Bruce Ware, her parents John Clark Ware and Eddie Bradley Stoll Ware, stepmother Martha Ware, her son Allen Ware Rodes, her brothers Clark and Bob Ware and her nephew Jack Ware.

She is survived by her husband Bob Jr, son Bob III and daughter-in-law Susan Rodes and her grandsons Benjamin and William, her sister Janet Ware, brother David and his children Carrie and Jennifer, brother Bob's wife Pam and their children Katie and Bobby, brother-in-law Dyer and his children Dyer II and Lee, and her brother Clark's children Casey, Mary and Andy. Also, she is survived by her grand-dog Maggie and grand-cats Peanut and Figaro.

For those wanting to make a contribution in Lucy's name, we recommend the following organizations that embody the values of service that she held dear:

Save the Children
https://www.savethechildren.org/

The Humane Society of Atlanta
https://atlantahumane.org/ways-to-give/

A service for immediate family and local friends in Roswell was held in St. George Village's Chapel on August 12 th. A graveside service for extended family and local friends in Lexington Kentucky will be held on November 1 st in The Lexington Cemetery at 11 am.