Mary Catherine Rhodes

October 18, 2019 at Elmcroft Senior Living. Daughter of James and Ada Tilson, she was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1922, and graduated from Greenville High School in 1939. She married her high school sweetheart, James S. (Jimmie) Rhodes in September 1942, when he was home on shore leave during WWII. “Cat” and Jimmie moved to Baltimore, MD, where he was stationed for a time. It was there that she was hired by Bell Telephone and trained as a switchboard operator. When Jim was transferred to San Francisco, Catherine boarded a train from Baltimore and rode for a week to join him. In 1949, they moved to Nashville, where Catherine resumed work at Bell Telephone, and Jim went to work for McQuiddy Printing Company until his sudden death in 1980. Catherine continued to work for BellSouth until she retired in 1987.

Catherine and Jim were longtime members of Grandview Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School, Sunbeams, and Vacation Bible School. After Grandview closed, she joined the membership of Glenwood Baptist Church. She was a loving mother, grandmother, expert seamstress, fabulous cook and gardener.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, James S. Rhodes, son David L. Rhodes, and sisters Virginia (Jin) Evans and Margaret (Louise) Polinski. She is survived by her daughter, Carol (Andy) Poston; grandchildren Seth (Shawn) Poston, Daniel (Heather) Poston, Dana (Abe) Scraggins, Chad Flynn; great-grandchildren Andrew, Luke, Ellie, and Hannah Poston, and Landon and Kate Scraggins.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the caregivers and staff of Elmcroft Senior Living and Karis Hospice for the loving care and attention shown to Catherine, especially in her final days. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to the charity of your choice.