BOSSIER CITY – Thomas G Rhodes, born in Ivan, LA on January 4, 1921, went to reside with his Heavenly Father on January 2, 2014, at the age of 92.
Funeral services will be held at Hill Crest Memorial Chapel on Monday, January 6, 2014, at 2:00 pm with interment to follow at Hill Crest Memorial Park. Bro Ken Basco, Pastor of Bellevue Road Baptist Church and Blake Lewis, Youth Minister at Westside Baptist Church, Natchitoches, LA will be officiating at the service. Visitation will be held at Hill Crest Funeral Home on Sunday, January 5, 2014 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm.
Thomas Rhodes’s love, tolerance and respect for his God, his family and his fellow man speaks volumes of the kind of person God made him to be and he will be missed by many. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle. He loved life and always put his God and his family first. He started each and every day with reading his bible. He was an avid gardener like his father, and loved to watch things grow, and was always excited to show off his vegetables and flowers. He loved hunting and fishing, and had a passion for writing poetry and short stories. He loved to play dominos on Sunday afternoons with his wife and three daughters, and always looked forward to visits from his nephew Buck Rhodes, where they would spend hours telling stories over a domino game.
After retirement from the work force, Mr. Rhodes worked for 20 years for Bossier Parish Bossier Parish School Board as a Senior Crossing Guard at Kerr Elementary. He loved the children and took great pride in his job, and always had many stories to tell. Prior to retirement, he was employed for a combined 35 years at Halliburton Oil Company and Fruehauf Trucking. He was a U. S. Army Veteran, and was a devoted member of Martin McClanahan Masonic Lodge No. 384 for 59 years.
Thomas is preceded in death by his grandson Gaylon Trotter. He is survived in life, by the love of his life Eunice Burks Rhodes, his wife of 74 years. He is also survived by his three daughters: Marie Rhodes Trotter and husband Landry of Bossier City, LA, Glenda Rhodes-Hood and the late Robert Allen Hood of Bossier City, LA, and Rhonda Rhodes Hensley and husband Rock Hensley of Haughton, LA. Grandchildren: Lisa Trotter Larkin and husband, the late Stacy Larkin of Benton, LA, Walter L. Downey III and wife Kelly Downey of Haughton, LA, Jason Downey of Haughton, LA and Glenn Maynor of Haughton, LA; great grandchildren: Brandon Larkin, Eric Downey, Taylor Downey, Joseph Downey, Amelia Downey, Emma Maynor and Paige Ramey; and great, great grandchildren: Morgan Downey and Logan Downey. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and dear friends, Milford and Judith Gordon.
Pallbearers will be Johnny Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes, Jeff Lewis, James Rhodes, Buddy Kimble and Billy Larkin. Honorary pallbearers will be Buck Rhodes, Garry Jefferson, Weslie Rhodes, Billy Burks, Steve Houston and Jeff Joyner.
The family would like to thank the Staff at Northwest Louisiana Oncology and the Nurses at Highland Hospital 2-South. In addition, the family would like to thank Dr. Mike Sewell and the Nursing Staff at Willis Knighton-Bossier 4-West for their loving care.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to one of the following organizations, or to the charity of your choice . Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, P.O. Box 4196, Monroe, LA 71211-9986 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memphis, TN 38105.
You may share your memories with the family by visiting www.hillcrestmemorialfh.com.
