Gwen Rhodes

Gwendolyn Rhodes was an angel who came down and walked on this Earth for 88 years. On October 29, 2017, she peacefully returned to her heavenly home to be with her beloved husband, Carlton. She also returned to be reunited with her parents, Carey and Mamie Allison, and two siblings, Joyce Ferrell and Buddy Allison. She leaves behind three sons and their spouses, Sonny and Julie Rhodes of North Little Rock, Bub and Sue Rhodes of Pine Bluff, and Harvey and Heather Rhodes of Heber Springs. Grandchildren include Jeremy, Katie and Abby Rhodes; Meredith Jacks and Sarah Connor; and James Ira Chisum and Ira Clinton Rhodes. She also leaves six great-grandchildren. Surviving siblings are Thelma Thompson, Jimmy Allison and Dorothy Harris. It would be impossible to list all the things she did and all the lives she touched, but here are a few highlights of a wonderful life: She never knew a stranger, having a smile and words of love for everyone. She had an indomitable spirit, never expressed regrets, and woke up every day confident in the spirit she was. Born July 6, 1929, near Pine Bluff, Ark., in a home that had neither electricity nor indoor plumbing, she grew up in humble circumstances and was well-accustomed to hard work. Despite the hardships of growing up in a family that was poor and moved often, she had a great sense of humor. She often joked that her birth helped set off the stock market crash and the Great Depression a few months later. Being the eldest of six children, she helped her mother raise her siblings, then carried those nurturing skills over into raising three boys. After her sons were grown and starting their own families, she helped in the development of scores of children in a day-care center at Good Faith United Methodist Church at Watson Chapel. When the center closed, she took many of those children under her wings, feeding and teaching them in her home from sunup to sundown. She was a 1947 graduate of Watson Chapel High School. In 1948, she married Carlton, whom she had known since grade school. Thereafter, she learned secretarial skills, which she used throughout her life in a variety of places, ranging from the Pine Bluff Arsenal to Jefferson Preparatory School. First in her life, though, was raising her three boys and being active in their busy lives. Besides ferrying them to Cub Scout meetings, Little League practices and many other activities, she also was active in helping their schools, including being a member of the Parent-Teacher Association, serving as PTA president at L.L. Owen Elementary School for a time. Since 2010, Gwen Rhodes had been a resident of the Green House Cottages of Southern Hills in Rison. She loved the staff there and they returned her love. Visitation will be Wednesday, 9 to 10 a.m. at Robinson's. Funeral services will be Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 10 a.m., in the Chapel of Ralph Robinson & Son with Reverend Feral West officiating. Burial will follow at Bellwood Annex Cemetery. Online condolences: www.ralphrobinsonandson.com.