Rhoda B. Freitag

Rhoda was born in Houston, Texas on September 23, 1927, to parents William Barhorst and Rhoda Lois Leverkuhn Barhorst. She was preceded in death by her husband of 71 years, Gus H. Freitag, Jr. in 2019. Gus and Rhoda were devout Catholics being members of Immaculate Conception Parish for over 65 years. She was also heavily involved with the local court of The Catholic Daughters of America and served on their board in different capacities.

Rhoda is survived by her four children; Derwood Freitag (Judi) and their three children, Sara Holden (Eric), Keith Freitag (Miranda) and Gretchen Freitag; Rhonda Herrington (Jack Selden) and her two children, Sandra Davis (Michael) and Shana Hansen (Brian); Deborah Jaska (Curtis) and their four children, Aaron Jaska (Ashley), Craig Jaska, Hayley Branch (Dane) and Amelia Nelson (Drew); and Diane Kopfensteiner (Daniel) and their three children, Daniel Kopfensteiner, Jr. (Christie), Tim Kopfensteiner (Daniela) and Rachel Hoisington (Tim) as well as fourteen great-grandchildren.

Rhoda was many things to many people. She was a wife, a mother, a sister, and a friend. Besides her family being her first and greatest love, the other loves in her life were her catering and her sewing. For over 30 years she made beautiful wedding cakes that she created on paper, baked in her kitchen, delivered in her car, and even served with the help of her family. Of course, her most favorite wedding cakes were the ones she made for each of her children’s weddings! Her other passion was sewing which she learned from her mom, Lois Barhorst, and worked in the family business, Houston Scenic Studios, fabricating stage draperies starting at a very early age. Rhoda was a chartered member of TWU (Theatrical Wardrobe Union) Local 896 where she worked as wardrobe seamstress and dresser for local entertainment organizations such as Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Theater Under the Stars and many others. Her talent, knowledge, and organization skills caught the eye of the Opera, and she was asked to lead their wardrobe department as head wardrobe mistress; a position she held in the 1980’s into the early 1990’s. In fact, she traveled overseas with the opera in 1989 for their performances of Show Boat which opened up the new opera house in Cairo, Egypt. After finishing her professional career in wardrobe with a 50-Year Gold Card from the union, she continued sewing for many years, fabricating quilts for non-profit organizations such as the Doss Center.

The Freitag family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the staff at Legacy at Town Creek for their kindness, friendship, and expert care of Rhoda these past several years.

The burial service will be at 1:45 pm on Wednesday, January 17th at Forest Park Funeral Home, 6900 Lawndale St, Houston, TX 77023.