Georgia Marie Rhodes

Georgia Marie Gilbert Rhodes died on Monday evening, December 2, 2013 at the age of 86. She was born in Apache, Oklahoma, on June 13, 1927. She was the eighth of eleven children born to Lloyd and Minnie Gilbert. Georgia’s family farmed and worked the land around Mountain View and Hobart, Oklahoma throughout the depression. Georgia was no stranger to hard work and hard times as her family worked the land and her faith in the Lord became an integral part of her being.

Georgia graduated as Salutatorian from Mountain View High School in 1945. She enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in the fall of that year and attended one year at OU where she received her teaching certificate to teach school. She then preceded to teach school the next year in a one room school house teaching eight grades at one time.

During that school year, Georgia met the love of her life, Jack D. Rhodes. After five years of service in the US Coast Guard, Jack had come back to Oklahoma and in partnership with his brother, Raymond, started to farm in southwestern Oklahoma. Georgia and Jack were married on February 22, 1947, at Mountain View, Oklahoma and have been married for 62 years. The couple moved west to Oregon in December of 1947 where Jack was employed at a sawmill. In September of 1948, their first son, Richard, was born and six weeks later the family moved to Bakersfield, California. After two years the family moved back to Hobart, Oklahoma where their second child, Kathy, was born.

Jack finally found his lifelong work being employed by oil supply company in Texas. During the next 35 years of employment with the oil supply company, the family and Georgia moved six times to five different towns in West Texas - Wichita Falls, Pampa, Graham, Monahans, Snyder, and back to Monahans. While living in Pampa, the third child of the family, Darrell was born.

Georgia loved her family, her church, and people in general. Georgia worked as a bookkeeper, secretary, and office worker for different companies such as Reynolds Company in Monahans, Scurry County Farm Bureau in Snyder, and retired from Cabot Oil in Monahans. She has been a faithful member of her church, First Assembly of God in Monahans for 44 years. She loved to sew, craft, and to collect dolls.

She is proceeded in death by her parents, husband, Jack Rhodes, eight brothers and sisters, and one son - Darrell Rhodes of Midland, and great-grandson Jack Barnes of Midland. She is survived by two sisters – Eula Cox of Grants Pass, Oregon, and Ollie Broderson of Eloy, Arizona; her son Richard Rhodes and daughter-in-law Dara of Abilene, Texas; her daughter Kathy Barnes and son-in-law Chester of Odessa, Texas; her five grandchildren – Christi Barnes of Midland, Texas, Laura Barnes Wright of Corinth, Texas, Allison Rhodes, Keller, Texas, Jon Rhodes, Lewisville, Texas, Jarrod Barnes of Midland, Texas; and five great grandchildren – Josh Wright, Taylor Wright, Lindsey Wright, Kaden Rhodes, Ella Rhodes, and Mason Barnes.

A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday December 5, 2013 at Frank Wilson Funeral Home in Odessa, Texas with the Reverend LeRoy Mahoney of Hobart, Oklahoma officiating. Visitation will be at Frank Wilson Funeral Home on Wednesday evening from 6-8 pm. She will be laid to rest in Monahans Cemetery.