Janice Marie Rhoads

Janice Marie (Haden) Rhoads, 80, of Kansas City, MO passed away quietly in her home and went to meet her Heavenly Father on Friday, December 10, 2021. Janice was born on October 23, 1941 in Smallett, Douglas County, Missouri. She was the youngest child of Rev. Larkin and Velma (Martin) Haden.

Janice grew up in the country and attended elementary school at Silver Shade, a one room school house until she was a young teenager. At that point, her family moved to West Plains, Missouri, where she graduated from high school and made many friends.

Janice became a Christian at a young age and proclaimed her love and faith in Jesus to anyone who would listen. Janice was brought up in a Christian home and her parents were very involved with the church. Her father was a General Baptist minister and while living in West Plains, he also pastored a small country church in Heart, Arkansas. It would be in this little country community under a walnut tree where the young people hung out, on a Sunday after church, that Janice would meet her best friend and the love of her life, Bobby Joe Rhoads.

Bob and Janice were married at that little country church on July 4, 1959. Bob was from a very large family and Janice always said, she not only got the best husband in the world, but she became part of a great family and her family loved Bob so much. They were married for 45 years until Bob preceded her in death in June of 2004. After they were married, they moved to Springfield, Missouri where Janice would attend college and graduate from Missouri State University with a degree in Education.

In 1962, she accepted a teaching job in Raytown, Missouri, so she and Bob made the big move to Kansas City. By 1963, Bob had a job at the Post Office and soon after, Janice changed jobs and was working for the IRS. In October of 1964, they started their family, and had their first child, Tonja, and in June of 1966, Randy was born.

Church was a big part of their life, and when they moved to Kansas City, they attended Cleveland Avenue Baptist, which later moved and changed its name to Lane Avenue Baptist Church. In 1972, they began attending Grandview Assembly of God Church. By the early 1990’s, they were attending both churches every Sunday. They loved both church families and made many lifelong friendships.

In 1967, Janice was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and this changed her life. She was already a hard worker and a real go getter, but suffering with RA took it to another level. She became determined and did her best to not let it get her down and take over her life. She was very independent, would never give up and became an inspiration to many by the way she lived her life.

By the early 1980’s, she could no longer work at the IRS, but this did not stop her from doing the things she could do. She loved to help others in need and began getting clothes and supplies to families that needed her help. She was a very giving soul. She always loved coupons and rebates, but after she could no longer work, she became a pro with them and was nicknamed the Coupon Lady. By 1985, she was a grandma and became a full-time baby sitter. She continued to do this as she had more grandchildren, but lucky for her, Bob retired at the end of 1992, just in time to help her with the other grandchildren on the way and that number would continue to grow.

She was such a good grandma to her grandkids and treated them like gold, but she did insist that they work on something. When they were very young, she regularly made them write their letters or read to her. She was determined for them to learn something while they were with her and she has become an inspiration and great example to all of them. She had an incredible knack for remembering everyone’s birthday and anniversary, so she loved to write letters and send cards and sometimes a little money to everyone she remembered. She also loved to play scrabble, and she and her good friends, Mary, Faye and Thelma played every Thursday night for years. You were always in for a good time and good food with that group of ladies.

Janice loved her family and friends so very much and appreciated all of them. She became very limited on what she could do in her life, due to her severe RA, but she never complained, and was grateful for everything she could continue to do on her own. She loved when her friends and family came to see her. She always told her grandsons and great grandsons how handsome they were and her face lit up when they came to see her. As the years went on, she became progressively more crippled, but always said, Jesus will help me do it. In her final year of life, she was completely bedridden and helpless, but continued to be so sweet and tell everyone how much she loved them. She was determined to make it to her 80th birthday, and this past October, she made it! She enjoyed that celebration tremendously. She will be greatly missed every day by her family and friends, but we know with faith we will see her again one day in Heaven and find comfort in that.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, her parents, her brother, Harold Haden, her grandson, Nick Dunham, her nephew, Paul Haden, her in-laws, Lonnie and Willie Rhoads, many brothers and sisters in laws, and her precious aunts and uncles.

She is survived by her daughter, Tonja and husband, John Coleman, Kingsville, MO, her son, Randy Rhoads, Kansas City, MO, her grandchildren, Dustin Rainwater, and wife, Kaylin, Belton, MO, Ashley and husband, Matt Boyes, San Tan Valley, AZ, Joelle Coleman and boyfriend, Kyle Beck, Kansas City, MO, Jessica Coleman, Kansas City, MO, Hunter Morgan, Kansas City, MO and Dakota Morgan, North Hollywood, CA, her great grandchildren, Hayden Rainwater, Alexis and Darius Dunham, Aria and Wyatt Boyes and Adryan Williams. Her brother, Robert Haden, Springfield, MO, her sister, Betty Fouts, Nixa, MO, her sisters-in-law, Lodema Bent, Gainesville, MO, and Loretta Rhoads, Russellville, AR, her brothers-in-law, Troy Rhoads, Little Rock, AR, and Joe Goodson, Rogers, AR and her special cousins, Norma Sue Whittington, Ozark, MO, and Kay Jacoby, Bolivar, MO, her best friend, Peggy Shipley, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Visitation will be held from 1 – 2 on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 with the funeral following at 2:00 at the Newcomer’s Floral Hills Funeral Home in Raytown, MO. Pastor Jerry Applegate will officiate with graveside services to follow. Pallbearers are Randy Rhoads, John Coleman, Dustin Rainwater, Hunter Morgan, Dakota Morgan and Hayden Rainwater. Music provided by Pam Payne.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the Lane Avenue Baptist Church in lieu of flowers.