E. June Rhoades

August 23, 1933 - September 3, 2020

E. June (Simpson) Rhoades and her husband, Dr. Keith Rhoades were residents of Ames, Iowa for nearly 50 years before moving to Corvallis, Oregon in 2012. They met in the 1st grade and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary prior to Keith's passing in 2014. June earned her degree in Elementary Education from Kansas State University. She taught school in Fort Riley, Kansas and Sheldahl, Iowa before a long run as a dedicated pre-school teacher at the Collegiate Methodist Church in Ames. Advocacy for children and cultural understanding were two of her life long passions. June and Keith loved to host potlucks, pub parties, and gourmet cooking groups. June contributed considerable time and effort to Ames Social Services, Mary Greeley Medical Center, her church and the Octagon Center for the Arts. She loved hiking, canoeing and bird watching. Her skill set as a teacher made her a natural as a Cub Scout den mother and as a volunteer for the Story County Conservation summer camp programs. The community was richer for her involvement. June was very proud of her sons. She loved bicycling and visiting with her son Steve at his business, Skunk River Cycles in downtown Ames. A month or so each year would be spent exploring the Oregon coast with her son Bruce and his family. She was ecstatic to become Grammie to granddaughters Sara and Kate. They spent many happy hours together exploring tide pools. June was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2006. Her family has the deepest gratitude and respect for the many kind and loving souls who provided physical care and emotional support during these past 14 years. Inherent to her personality, June handled her situation with grace and perseverance. Even when words would not come easily, she always retained Thank You. June is survived by her sons Bruce (Ella) Rhoades and Steve Rhoades; granddaughters Sara and Kate Rhoades; sister Marlene (Ed) Wolf, five nieces and 12 great nieces and nephews. No services are planned. To celebrate June's life, please donate generously to: The Octagon Center for the Arts (www.octagonarts.org)