Rita Pauline Rhodes

Rita Pauline Nossaman Rhodes passed away peacefully on Monday, December 22, 2025, at the Watkins-Logan-Garrison Texas State Veteran’s Home in Tyler, TX. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held at Lloyd James Funeral Home, Tyler, TX on Saturday, January 3, 2026, from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm. Celebration of Life will be announced later for Spring of 2026 in Isabel, KS.

She was born the daughter of LeRoy Nossaman and Ethel (Yarberry) Nossaman on August 14, 1931, on a wheat farm near Isabel, KS, in the home her dad and grandfather built.

Rita attended early elementary school at the one room Hardscrabble schoolhouse. Her father would walk her through a field to the hill south of their barn to stand and watch her walk the rest of the way to school by herself. He would be there at the end of the day to watch her walk back. In 4th grade, she began attending school at Isabel, eventually graduating as Valedictorian of her high school Senior class.

With her brother Robert Jahliel (Jeel) and sister Beth, they rode bicycles, played in the hayloft, went to 4-H together, played basketball and softball, as well as games like Beckon and Handy-over. She was a crack shot with a gun – taught by her father to shoot raccoons, clay pigeons, and even a snake in a tree.

Her parents taught her to be a hard worker, look for snakes in the chicken nests when gathering eggs, keep your promises, have integrity and clean speech, do church work, and help your neighbors.

Rita graduated with a Business Administration degree from Harding University, earning good grades because she knew her parents were sacrificing for her tuition. At Harding she was a member of Harding Chorus, with a beautiful alto voice, and Ju Go Ju Social Club, eventually becoming club president. She met Ken Rhodes in choir, who introduced her to his brother, Bruce, whom she married on December 18, 1952.

Bruce served in the Army, and while stationed in New Mexico they had four children: Adena, Deborah, Lisa and Chris.

After Rita and Bruce separated, she and her children moved back to the Kansas farm. Rita obtained a teaching degree while working in the Pratt County Land and Assessor’s Office, commuting to Northwestern Oklahoma College in Alva, OK.

Rita – the Teacher. She was a teacher for 35 years, teaching 2nd, 3rd and eventually 4th grade. All four of her children were her students at some point. She was an involved and inspiring teacher – with playground duty, bus duty, lunch duty, working the ticket booth for basketball games and track meets, and even a pitcher for recess softball. She always had guppies in her classroom aquarium, instructed in 4th grade plays, and taught the love of reading by reading books to her class. She taught students how to make butter with a butter churn, and how to make Easter baskets with balloons and string art. She would sit in the car grading papers while her kids were at ball practice or playing sports on game nights. Rita served on NEA committees, once serving as president of her local KNEA.

Words from fellow teachers: “She mentored me.” “I respected her judgement when dealing with a parent.” “A wonderful role model.”

Rita – the Servant. She was a Joy Bus teacher (no small feat to stand up riding backwards on a school bus for someone who easily got car sick), a Sunday school teacher (even though she taught all week at public school), a World Bible School teacher (reaching more than 3,000 students worldwide), and a worker in the Benevolent Center in Tyler.

Rita – the Mother and Grandmother. She and her kids were active in 4-H club—taking care of animals, giving cooking demonstrations, and sewing clothes. All four children took piano lessons every Saturday morning and played in the school band. Saturday trips into town for piano lessons also included a trip to the library, where everyone would check out a stack of books to read during the week.

She took her kids on trips to visit Colorado and to visit the Rhodes grandparents in Roswell, NM, stopping to pan for gold in the river, visit an Indian reservation, always teaching and always learning. She got to travel to Washington, DC, Paris, Scotland, England, Carlsbad Caverns, Pikes Peak, Black Hills of South Dakota, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Niagara Falls, the Alamo in San Antonio, Juarez and Cabo in Mexico, Santa Fe, El Paso, NY City. She followed grandson Brad’s professional baseball careers as well…Oakland, Texas, St. Louis, KC, etc., always keeping score and stats. Rita was an avid game-player, especially good at hearts. All the kids and grandkids wanted to stay at the farm on holidays, sleeping in sleeping bags, so they could all be together, even though the farmhouse had just one bathroom.

Rita cared for her parents until they passed and then continued to work on the farm for 10 more years. She joined Stitch & Chatter and made many quilts. In 2005, she moved to Tyler, TX, to live near her daughter Deborah, became active in the Glenwood Church of Christ and Shiloh Church of Christ.

Favorite sayings—“I spect” “Great balls of sheet iron” “Mind your p’s and q’s” “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all”

Advice—“Put God first in your life...Family second. He will never let you down. “

“Your family will always love you no matter what happens. Friends come and go but family won’t.”

"Be very involved in your kids’ lives…let them suffer sometimes…… (bad grades, etc.) and let them suffer the consequences. Life is all about choices…good or bad.”

“Sin splatters - if someone else sins, you can have it splatter on you too, so choose good friends.”

She rarely complained. Her strength continues to be a strong example to our family, a legacy of faithfulness, steadfastness and a generous spirit.

One teacher said, “I would end this with a God Bless You, but I know God already has”.

She was preceded in death by her siblings, Beth Nossaman Barker and Bob Jahliel Nossaman. She is survived by her children, Adena DiTonno (Tony), Deborah Harris (Brent), Lisa Ziegler (Greg), Chris Rhodes (Sheila Rector Rhodes), five grandchildren, Matt Harris, Meredith Harris, Brad Ziegler (Kristen Gritzer Ziegler), Melissa Ziegler Brazile (Darin), Laura Rhodes Wagner (Grant), and six great-grandchildren: Kaylin, Joshua, and Lauryn Ziegler and Grady, Karli and Kynlee Jo Brazile.

Special thanks to all the staff at Watkins-Logan Veteran’s Home and Hospice Plus for the excellent loving care they gave to Rita. The family asks that any donations in her memory be made to World Bible School, https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://worldbibleschool.org__;!!M2D_dUfSiN4E!IwBq2Qk6kE6PQTffLcbpAz5idpSn_Wn4QYzZ8B6G-b3MWbsdEx5D9Mb5HZVy4AYktfysLgpZRnirCxPDuQLHHewTATdijvM$ [worldbibleschool[.]org], one of the favorite causes she served for decades.