Dorothea F Rhodes

Dorothea Kleber Freker Rhodes passed away at the age of 96 on January 11, 2017. She is survived by her three children, Janice Rhodes McNulty (Dennis), Greg Rhodes (Laura), and William Rhodes (Megan), and by her eight grandchildren, Rebecca, Brian, Maddy (Caleb), Adam, Alexander, Sean, Christopher, and Zachary. Dorothea was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in 1920, the daughter of William J. Freker and Marian Kleber. She attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education in 1940 at the age of 19. She later earned her Master's Degree in Education, and taught elementary school in and around Beaver Falls until 1953, when she married Carl Jackson Rhodes. Carl and Dorothea were together through thick and thin until his death in 1982. They had moved to Phoenix in 1961, and from that time until her retirement in 1986, Dorothea taught third grade at John F. Long School in the Cartwright School District. After her retirement, she traveled and helped take care of her grandchildren. Dorothea will be remembered by her family and friends for many things, including her extreme love for coffee, dark chocolate, the color red, and reading, reading, reading (especially mysteries). A celebration of Dorothea's life will be held at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church, 6180 West Utopia Road, Glendale, Arizona 85308, on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 9:00 am. Memorial contributions in Dorothea's memory may be made to Hospice of the Valley. Arrangements have been entrusted to the direction of Resthaven / Carr-Tenney Mortuary & Memorial Gardens, Phoenix, Arizona.