Rhonda Sue Work

Rhonda Sue Work, age 93, passed into eternal rest on August 10, 2026. She lived a life full of friendships, loving family, travel and devotion to animal conservation, both domestically and internationally.

She was born August 1, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio to Valois S. and Granville B. “Barney” Work, the younger sister of Granville B. (“GB”). Her childhood included homes in Stamford, CT, Reading, PA, and Louisville, KY. She moved to Pompano Beach, FL in 1957 and to Tallahassee in 1975, where she resided for the remainder of her life.

She earned her B.S. in Speech Pathology from Northwestern University in 1955, her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Florida in 1968, and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Florida State University in 1990. She began her career as a school speech pathologist in Louisville. Upon moving to Florida, she continued practicing and became supervisor of all language, speech and hearing programs in Broward County in 1968. She moved to Tallahassee in 1975 and was the Program Specialist for the Florida Department of Education, retiring in 1995. She also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Florida State University from 1976 until 2000.

She was a member of 15 professional organizations, often serving in leadership roles. Among these were the Florida Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists where she chaired numerous committees and boards and served as President in 1972-73. She was also active in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association where she chaired a number of committees and boards and served as Vice-president for Professional and Governmental Affairs from 1979-1981. She also served on any number of state and national advisory councils.

She made over 60 professional presentations over her career, served as a consultant or manager for over 10 grants, and served on four editorial boards. She also published numerous articles in professional journals, chapters in four textbooks and developed five professional manuals.

She received numerous awards and honors. Among those are: Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Kappa Gamma, and honors from the Florida Language, Speech, and Hearing Association. She received the Clinical Career Award from FLSHA in 1996, The Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Award for Exemplary Teamwork in 1996, the Florida Department of Education Retirement Award for Significant Contributions to DOE in 1996, and the Florida Department of Education Sustained Superior Achievement Award in 1996. In 2011, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, from Florida State University.

Upon retirement, no grass grew under Rhonda’s feet. She volunteered at the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science, conducting animal encounters as well as on- and off-site educational programs. She assisted with animal care and rescue at the St. Francis Wildlife Association. She sang in the choir at Trinity United Methodist Church, also serving on several committees and leading the church history project there. She also volunteered at St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, the LeMoyne Art Foundation, Tai Chi Society and the FSU Coastal and Marine Lab. She was active in Delta Kappa Gama Women’s Educator Honor Society, serving as both local and regional treasurer until relatively recently.

Rhonda was a prolific traveler, visiting six out of the seven continents, but loving her seven safaris to Africa the most. She was often accompanied by friends and family. She loved all wildlife but especially cats, both large and small. Anyone who knew her knew how devoted she was to her Seminoles. She looked forward to football season each year and was disappointed when she finally had to stop tailgating and attending the games.

In her family, Rhonda (“Aunt Suzie”) became the “mother to all.” She was the “soft place to land” for them and so many others: neighbors, church family, and hundreds of personal and professional friends. To be at Rhonda’s house on her birthday was to hear the phone ringing non-stop from calls from her numerous friends and having to empty the mailbox overflowing with birthday cards. This was no accident: she subscribed to the philosophy that “to have a friend, you need to be a friend.” In her difficult final months, she remained optimistic and forward-looking. That was Rhonda.

Rhonda is survived by her nephews: Byron (Chris), Greg and George (Julie); her grand-nephews and niece: Stephen (Monica), Sean, Tim (Audrey), Justin, Charlie (Ana), Byron (Rachel), and Grace; her great grand-nephews: Nathan and Liem, and her beloved cat Emmy.

Rhonda will be remembered for her warmth, generosity, and character. She believed in faith, family and friends. Her motto was live, laugh and love. She served as an inspiration to all who knew her. We can all hope we leave this world better off for having been here. She definitely did.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 24 at 11:00am at Trinity United Methodist Church, 120 W. Park Ave., Tallahassee, FL. In lieu of flowers, Rhonda had asked that donations be made to St. Francis Wildlife Association, 5580 Salem Rd., Quincy, FL 32352 or stfranciswildlife.org. Please share your memories of Rhonda at dignitymemorial.com.