Obituary of Ruth E. Rhoads

Ruth E. Rhoads, 92, of Iowa City died peacefully April 8, 2016 at Hospice House in Hiawatha, Iowa. Memorial services will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, August 6, 2016 at the Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Burial will be in the Stanwood Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to 4C's (Community Coordinated Child Care) and directed to Gay & Ciha Funeral Service, 2720 Muscatine Ave, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240. Ruth was born September 26, 1923 at Elmira, Graham Township in rural Johnson County, Iowa; daughter of Roain Elizabeth (Foraker) Donovan and Edward Leo Donovan. She graduated from University High School in 1941 and Iowa City Commercial School in 1945. She worked at the Johnson County Department of Welfare for several years. On December 16, 1949 she married William D. "Bill" Rhoads and the resided in Stanwood. Ruth worked at the high school in Stanwood from 1961 to 1973. She and Bill set up for craft shows for a number of years; Bill made a large variety of wooden toys and other wooden items and Ruth finished them. She worked at Cedar Manor Nursing Home in Tipton, Iowa from 1988 to 1992 and at the Mechanicsville Nursing Home from late October to March 1993. She moved to Iowa City in April 1993 and worked at the 4C's Toy Library for eight years and then at Grant Wood Elementary for seven years, retiring in 2008. Ruth resided at Emerson Point in Iowa City from 2009 through 2011 and moved to the Solon Care Center in December of 2011. Ruth's family includes her two sons, Mark (Britta Penca) Rhoads of Oracle, AZ and William (Melinda) Rhoads of Cedar Rapids; brother, Ralph Donovan of Solon; three grandchildren, Tera (David) Denial of CA, Tristan (Ryan) Ellis, and Mikaela (Travis) Brockett and granddaughter-in-law, Melissa Rhoads of KY; three great-grandchildren, Jacquelyn, Bryan and Kevin of Kentucky and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her dear grandson, Burke Rhoads; husband, Bill in 1987 and sister, Gertrude M. Brown. Ruth's family would like to express sincere gratitude to the staffs of the Solon Care Center and the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Mercy Hospice House of Hiawatha for the excellent care they have provided.