Vill age
In Memoriam - Betty Virginia Rhoades Betty Virginia Rhoades, 78, of Mariemont, and Glen Lake, MI, a retired art teacher, sportswoman and dedicated environmentalist, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 27, 2016 in Hilliard, OH, surrounded by her family. Betty began her teaching career at The Montresor School in Leesburg, VA where she developed a love for horses, riding and fox hunting. After several years in VA, she returned to Cincinnati where she began teaching art in the Mariemont School System and continued there for thirty-three years. She influenced several generations, as Judy Centner Hastings commented, “Not only was Betty a co-worker for many years at Mariemont Elementary, but she also was my art teacher at Dale Park Elementary. She inspired me to have a love for art. I shall never forget her. It was a blessing to know her.” Betty was active on the Boards of the Mariemont Preservation Foundation and Little Miami Conservancy, led wilderness canoeing and camping trips, was an expert skier, tennis player, horseback rider, sailor and white-water canoeist. She was also a wood turner, cabinetmaker, ceramicist and artist. At age sixty she took up wind surfing. She and fellow Mariemont teacher, Susan Gougler, traveled to Europe in 1966 where Betty bought a red VW, and she and Susan drove all around the continent in it. At the end of the trip the VW was shipped to the States, and it is still in the family. Betty’s VW was iconic. If you saw a red 1966 VW Beetle buzz by you in Mariemont, you knew it was Betty. School kids would shout, “Hi Miss Rhoades!” when she drove by. Betty never passed a chance to instill into the minds of children and adults alike a love and respect for our planet and all its creatures. Her love for animals was reflected in her numerous dogs, each one a rescue who seemed to find her, and in her three horses which provided her with many happy years on the Indian Hill trails. Betty leaves her beloved sisters, Nancy R. Schwab (Richard) of West Chester, PA and Susan R. Theiss (Viktor) of Loveland, OH. She is also survived by her loving nephews, Richard L. Schwab, Jr. and David G. Schwab (Beth) and Mariemont Town Crier
their sister, Anne E. (Betsy) Bury, and great nieces and nephews: Leanne, Christopher, Jennifer and Andrew Schwab, and Tyler, Austin and Leah Bury. Betty was a larger-than-life figure in Mariemont. Her sister, Susan, recounted several stories about her lasting impact on the Village.
“The Gordon family next door to Betty became a close family to her. Lisa and Andy had two children, Louis and Allison. Next door to them were the Conrad’s. Jim and Janet had two girls, Katherine and Christina. The two families, especially the four children, became very close as they grew up together, and all four of them adored Betty! They would knock on her door and ask her if she could come out and play. And she would! She played ball with them, took them for hikes in the Dale Park woods, played in the creek, searched for mushrooms, taught them how to care for the environment, how to plant trees, build an igloo, save their pennies, all important skills and valuable life lessons. The neighboring Crilley family had a persimmon tree that hung over Betty’s fence and dropped persimmons in her yard in the fall. Resourceful Betty gathered up the persimmons before the raccoons found them and made delicious persimmon pudding! Yum. ” Betty was instrumental in preserving the magnificent beech grove in the heart of Mariemont. She spent days at a time, sometimes by herself, sometimes with the help of friends and family, pulling enormous quantities of honeysuckle and other invasive species out of
the woods across from the Municipal Building. She would be seen sitting with friends outside Graeter’s after an afternoon’s work in the grove, eating an ice cream cone, with her giant sickle leaning against the bench. People walking by would say, “What IS that?” Thanks to Betty and the Village of Mariemont, its beech grove is one of Ohio’s few remaining city beech groves, and Mariemont is proud to keep it protected. She was also determined to preserve the large trees in other parts of Mariemont. For many years she annually injected several huge elm trees to save them from Dutch elm disease, and those magnificent trees are still standing today as a result. Fran Rust, who taught with Betty at Mariemont Elementary, remembers her former co-worker with great fondness. “Betty had such an amazing influence on my life as a teacher and as a friend. She encouraged students to develop their creative talents. She taught so many lessons beyond the classroom setting whether she was talking about how to save money and budgeting, how to throw a football, or reflect on the beauty of nature. She loved to visit my classroom to talk about the difference between a barn owl and a barred owl, which always included her own demonstration and vocalization of how each Owl sounded. During one Earth Day celebration she guided my class through Dogwood Park pointing out each of the trees and their corresponding bark. She was a wealth of knowledge when it came to anything related to nature. The students and I were fascinated by her ability to identify wildflowers and bird calls. Betty was a unique individual with a wonderful sense of humor and a real enthusiasm for life. I am truly honored that she was my friend and role model.” In lieu of flowers, you are invited to honor Betty with a contribution in her name to: Mariemont Preservation Foundation, 3901 Plainville Pike, Mariemont OH 45227 (mariemontpreservation.org),Little Miami Conservancy, 6040 Price Road, Milford, OH 45150 (littlemiami.com), The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, 7660 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612 (info@arcofappalachia.org), Cincinnati Nature Center, 4949 Tealtown Rd. Milford, OH 45150, or to your favorite animal rescue shelter. Page 7