Rhonda Carol Love

Rhonda Carol Love, age 72, passed away at her home on Nov. 16, 2025, in O'Fallon, Illinois, after a lifetime devoted to serving families and children. Born on May 7, 1953, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, she was the daughter of Rommy Mack, Jr. and Margaret Ellen (Bell) Love. Rhonda was preceded in death by her beloved parents; her sister, Melissa Evelyn Love; her paternal grandparents, Rommy Mack, Sr. and Zona (Crowell) Love of Scotland, Arkansas; and her maternal grandparents, J.E. and Louise Bell of Hickory Plains, Arkansas. Rhonda is survived by her loving sister, Margo (nee Love) Snyder and husband, David; her cherished nephew, Brian Thomas, his wife Katherine (Martychenko), and their daughters, Faye and Chloe-all of O'Fallon.

Reared in Fort Smith, Rhonda moved to Jackson, Mississippi, as a youth, where she attended Callaway High School. She relocated to Conway, Arkansas, for her senior year, graduating with the Conway High School Class of 1971. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas in 1976 and completed her Master of Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2004.

As a Christian, Rhonda dedicated her career to service. She began as a protective service specialist with the Arkansas Department of Child and Family Services and later worked as a congressional aide to Arkansas U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune. She then served as state coordinator of suspected child abuse and neglect (SCAN), advocating for the safety and well-being of vulnerable children. For more than 20 years, Rhonda was an adoption counselor and director at Bethany Christian Services of Arkansas, where she helped place numerous children into loving homes-a ministry of care that remained one of her proudest achievements. She continued her vocation as a mental health therapist at Arisa Health in Conway until her retirement in 2024, offering compassion, insight and hope to those in need.

In early 2025, Rhonda moved to O'Fallon to be closer to family, a blessing to her and to those who welcomed her even as her health began to decline. Throughout her life she had a deep affection for her pets and she would be comforted to know that Jack, her dachshund, is being lovingly cared for by family.

Visitation will be held beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in the chapel at Shiloh Church at Three Springs, 210 S. Main St., Shiloh, Illinois, followed by a celebration of life service at 6 p.m. Her cremated remains will be inurned at Griffin-Leggett Rest Hills Cemetery in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in the spring of 2026. Rhonda's compassion, gentle strength and unwavering dedication to children and families will be fondly remembered by all whose lives she touched.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the O'Fallon Chapter of Lewis & Clark Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 93, O'Fallon, Illinois, 62269, to support their mission of building homes and improving the lives of families in need in the O'Fallon area-an expression of Rhonda's values and legacy.

She once shared a quote attributed to Terri St. Cloud, "And if, when it is all over, I'm asked what I did with my life, I want to be able to say, 'I offered love.'" That sentiment reflects the way she lived and the way she will be remembered. Our beloved "Da" will be deeply missed.

Wolfersberger Funeral Home, O'Fallon, is serving the family. Online condolences may be offered at www.wfh-ofallon.com.