MERTON F. "Dusty" RHODES

NAPIER, RHODES, LOE, GAUL, ROLING, WITT, MOLHOFF, WAGNER

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 4/16/2003 at 20:42:57

Merton F. Rhodes

Telegraph Herald - Friday, April 11, 2003

Merton F. "Dusty" Rhodes, 93, of Manor Care, formerly of 2484 Green St., died Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at Manor Care.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Grandview Avenue United Methodist Church, 419 N. Grandview Ave. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Siegert-Didesch Colonial Funeral Home, 390 N. Grandview Ave., and after 9 a.m. Saturday at the church.

Mr. Rhodes worked for Western Electric in Canada in his early years and eventually worked for Northwestern Bell in Des Moines and Dubuque until his retirement in 1975.

He was born on Dec. 18, 1909, in Sloan, Iowa, son of Ray and Myrtle (Napier) Rhodes. He married Ellenor Loe on June 19, 1937, in Hawarden, Iowa; she passed away on Jan. 9, 1989.

Dusty was a man who enjoyed working in the garden, whistling and singing and coming out to the farm in Luxemburg to work. He also enjoyed many hours watching his favorite baseball teams, the Yankees and Cubs, and was always a loyal Hawkeye fan.

He was a past secretary/treasurer of the Telephone Co. Credit Union, a member of the Telephone Pioneers and a longtime member of Grandview Avenue United Methodist Church.

Surviving are a daughter, Judith (Patrick) Gaul, of Luxemburg; two sons, Steven (Tavia) Rhodes, of Onawa, Iowa, and David Rhodes, of East Dubuque, Ill.; 10 grandchildren, Michael (Ann), Steven (Sue) and Brian (Sheri) Gaul, Peggy (Tom) Roling, and Jeff (Tina), Scott (Candy), Stephanie, Jessica, Adam and Toby (Aija) Rhodes; 13 great-grandchildren; a sister, Mae Witt, of Dubuque; and several nieces and nephews.

He also was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Leo Rhodes; and two sisters, Erma Molhoff and Iva Wagner.

A Merton Frances Rhodes Memorial Fund has been established.

The family would like to thank the staff at Manor Care, who's names are too numerous to mention, and a special thank-you to his granddaughter, Peggy Roling, for all their wonderful care and support.