Etna J Rhodes

April 23, 1916 - Aug. 9, 2014 age 98, passed away on Saturday, August 9, 2014. She was born on April 23, 1916 in Lineville, AL to Henry and Lillie Jackson. She grew up in Lineville with one sister and four brothers and was the last surviving sibling. She was married to Roy Lewis Rhodes of Linden, AL for over 60 years. Education was always important to her family. In 1933, during the Great Depression, all Alabama schools closed after 7 months due to a lack of funding. The trustees of her school, the State Secondary Agricultural School, and a group of parents agreed to pay some of the teachers to stay and let her and the other seniors finish their last year. She received a certificate of graduation and was able to go on to college in Montevallo at the Alabama College for Women. There she earned double majors in Home Economics and Science. After college, she taught home economics for $65 a month in Talladega County where she met Roy Lewis Rhodes. She then worked as a Home Supervisor for the Farm Security Administration which was a WPA project. Later, she taught in Lineville and Millbrook, AL before the family moved to Trussville, AL in 1957. In Trussville, she taught junior high math for 17 years. She taught Sunday School at the First Baptist Church of Trussville for about 50 years. She was also a leader in the Women's Missionary Union and many other church ministries. She is survived by one son, Howard Lewis Rhodes and wife Mary of Tallahassee, FL and one daughter Elaine Rhodes Copham and husband John of Trussville, AL and four grandchildren, Craig Aaron Copham and wife Beth, of Trussville, AL; Brian Rhodes Copham and wife Leah, of Jacksonville, FL; Adrienne Ruth Boueres and husband Joel, of Swannanoa, NC; and Russell Howard Rhodes and wife Ruchi, of Tallahassee, FL. Great grandchildren include Anna Rhodes Copham, Jacob Lewis Copham, Sarah Quillen Copham, Eloise Grace Copham, Rilyn Claire Boueres, Noah Jackson Boueres, and Vikram Russell Rhodes. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Trussville - Missions. Visitation will be held Monday, August 11, 5:30-8:00 p.m. and funeral services Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at Ridout's Trussville Chapel. Rev. James Long and Rev. Bobby Erwin officiating. Burial at Jefferson Memorial Gardens. - See more at: http://obits.al.com/obituaries/birmingham/obituary.aspx?n=etna-jackson-rhodes&pid=172044111&fhid=8341#sthash.uVjNJnv6.dpuf