Mildred "Mil" Hoffman RhodesNovember 15, 1936 - January 12, 2011Mil Rhodes passed away on Wednesday, January 12, after a short illness, surrounded by the family to whom she had devoted her life.Mil was born on November 15, 1936, in Washington, DC.She was preceded in death by her parents, Rear Admiral Harry Draper Hoffman and Mildred Anderson Hoffman, and her sister, Nancy Hoffman Crowley. As a child, her family spent summers in Rehoboth Beach, DE, and at 19 she met the handsomest Air Force pilot she had ever seen, Duane (Dusty) Rhodes. They eloped nine months later and were together for 54 years. A career Air Force family, they lived and made friends in Delaware, Virginia, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas, finally retiring in Austin in 1974. As newlyweds, Mil and Dusty ate a lot of frozen fish sticks, but over the years she became a very accomplished cook. One of the things she enjoyed most was to entertain family and friends at their home on Lake Austin. Her barbequed chicken and potato salad were legendary at family and office picnics, and any neighbor in need received one of her famous lasagnas. She loved to take boat rides and water ski, garden, and play board games (she was nearly unbeatable at Scrabble). She took great pride in making a comfortable, loving home for the family she doted on, and her friends became part of her extended family.Mil is survived by her husband and best friend, Dusty, her children Steve, Karen, Dan, Richard, Jeff, Susan, and Bryan, her grandchildren Zachary, Tyler, Lucia, and Isaac, her niece, Cathy, and nephews, Tom, Michael, Brian, and David, grandnieces and -nephews, and countless friends.The visitation will be held on Sunday, January 16, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail. A celebration of her life will take place Monday, January 17, at Riverbend Chapel, 4214 Capital of Texas Highway, at 10:00 am. Burial will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Alzheimer's Foundation of America. The Rhodes family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Westlake Medical Hospital and Odyssey VistaCare Hospice. 4435 Frontier Trail Austin, TX 78745 (512) 443-1366
Tributes
Chantelle Reid wrote on Jan 21, 2011:
"To the Rhodes Family with heartfelt sympathy, May you find comfort in the word of God and in the knowledge that others sympathize with you in your loss. Since this may be one of the hardest things we will ever have to cope with, the bible offers hope. Pointing to a glorious time, Isaiah 25:8 says, God will actually swallow up death forever and God will certainly wipe the tears from all faces." Please read John 5:28,29. It has bought comfort to me and my family. I pray it does the same for you."