Rhodes, Lena "Vellora" 1873-1945

RHODES, IRONS, BABBIT

Posted By: Doris Hoffman, Volunteer (email)
Date: 2/19/2013 at 18:30:03

Note: Her mother's maiden name was Babbit.

RITES ARE HELD SATURDAY FOR MRS. U. G. RHODES

Death comes Suddenly To Highly Esteemed Akron Woman

Mention was made in this paper last week of the death of Mrs. U. G. Rhodes at her home in this city on Wednesday afternoon, October 10, 1945, as the result of a stroke, at the age of 72 years, 3 months, and 18 days.

Lena Vellora Irons, oldest daughter of J. Daniel and Nancy Irons, was born on June 22, 1873, at Abington, Knox county, Illinois. When ten years old, she moved with her parents to Washington county, Kansas, making their home at Haddam.

She was in marriage with U. G. Rhodes at the home of her parents at Haddam on December 25, 1892. Four children came to bless this home, Ralph, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Mrs. Florence Lias and Mrs. Marion thorberg, both of Akron, and Mrs. Lila Kirk, of Racine Wisconsin. All these were present for the funeral services except Ralph, who was unable to secure transportation.

Besided her husband and children, she is survived by one brother, Leonard, of Big Cabin, Okla., and one sister, Mrs. Lela Hendrix, of Galesburg, Ill., who with her husband, came to attend the funeral. Also surviving are seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes moved to Akron in 1900, living in town until 1906, when they moved ona farm south of town, where they resided until 1916, at which time they moved back to Akron and have since made their home here.

Mrs. Rhodes has been an active member of the Methodist church since her early childhood in Kansas. During all of these years she has been active in may different places in her church. She had two absorbing interests--one was her Sunday school class and the other was the Missionary program of her church. In this connection,
Rev. Howe, during the course of his funeral sermon, paid the foloowing tribute to her devotion: "when we look back over the eyars we like to think of the many people she has inspired by her faithfulness and loyalty to her Lord and His church. We can easily think of her as a young homemaker, full of cheer and sunshine. Some of us have known her only in her later years, but she has always been so beautiful in spirit and so full of smiling happiness that we connot think of her as ever having been depressed or depressing. As her pastor, I know she would not approve of extravagant eulogy; but her life and its influence is its own best eulogy. Her children rise up and call her blessed and her grandchilodren will be glad to endorse everything we can say here in her praise. She said with her life more eloquently than we can say it here, "I believe in the Resurrection of the dead." And now that she has gone it will not be hard for all who knew to believe in it, too. We can almost hear some one read from the Bible today, "Sown in corruption, it is raided in incorruption; sown in weakness, it is raideed in power; sown a natural bidy, it is raided a spiritual body."

The following was one of Mrs. Rhodes" favorite poems"

Day by day the number lessens,
Year by year they slip away
To the unknown land for distant
In the realsm of endless days.
Some in evening twilight shadows,
Some in darkness of the night.
We shall miss them, ever miss them,
Miss thier hand clasps, words of
cheer,
Miss their happy smiles of welcome
That we knew when they were here.
But we had them in sweet memory
And we know they are not dead,
To the heavenly land eternal.
They's just slipped away ahead.
And ere long we know we'll meet
them
In the realms of endless day,
When our tasks on earth are finished,
And, like them, have gone away.
Funer services were held SAturday afternoon at 2:00 o'clock in the Methodist church, conducted by REv. A. A. Howe, with many friends assembling to pay a last tribute of respect. Hymns were sung by a male quartet comprised of J. A. Jensen, Clifford Johnson, Bob Shoulberg and Harry B. Nelson. Interment was in Riverside cemetery.

Akron Register Tribune
Thursday, October 18, 1945
Akron, Iowa