Mrs. Rhodes was an active political wife and mother, raising four children during the thirty years her husband was in Congress while also acting as a leader of the Congressional Club, a non-partisan club for spouses of members of the House and Senate in Washington D.C. She is the mother of former Arizona congressman Jay Rhodes, who died in January 2011.

Mrs. Rhodes is remembered for her commitment to her family, to her husband and to each community in which she lived. She was born in Council Grove, Kan., in 1919 to Lewis Harvey, a physician, and Grace Campbell. Mrs. Rhodes was the third child and the first girl in her family, which also included two teen brothers, Taylor and Scott. Due to her father’s service in the U.S. military, Mrs. Rhodes and her family lived in three states before settling in Homosassa Springs, Fla., where, at the age of 8, she became a featured exhibition diver at The Homosassa Hotel.

After the 1929 stock market crash, the Harvey family returned to Council Grove, where Mrs. Rhodes continued to dive into life. She attended Baker University in Baldwin, Kan., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Speech and was president of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta.

She had known John J. Rhodes most of her life, but romance sparked during a summer break when he returned to Council Grove, also his hometown, from Harvard Law School. They were married in May 1942 in Council Grove, but moved to Arizona where Mr. Rhodes was serving as Adjutant and later Executive Officer in the U. S. Army Air Forces at Williams Field, Ariz.

During her husband’s years in the military, Mrs. Rhodes continued to volunteer in her community. She was elected as the first president of the Williams Officer’s Wives Club, which supported a Red Cross unit. After World War II, the Rhodes chose to settle in Mesa where Mr. Rhodes started to practice law. Mrs. Rhodes again volunteered in her community, as a member of P.E.O. Chapter K and president of the Junior Women’s Club.

In 1952, Mr. Rhodes joined the U.S. House of Representatives as the first Republican ever elected to represent Arizona in the House of Representatives. She continued her volunteer commitments in Washington with The Congressional Club, The International Neighbors Club, and Florence Crittenton. Her devotion to her volunteer commitments was extraordinary, but it was her devotion to her family that remains her legacy. Throughout her husband’s 30 years in Congress, she raised three sons; Jay, Thomas and Scott; as well as one daughter, Elizabeth.

“My mother was an extraordinary woman whose commitment to her family and her dedication to public service will be remembered by all who knew her,” said daughter Elizabeth Reich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish Arizona. “Her legacy lives on in each of us.”

Mrs. Rhodes is preceded in death by her husband, John J. Rhodes Jr.; and, her son, former Arizona congressman John Jacob (Jay) Rhodes III. She is survived by sons Thomas Rhodes (Chris) and Scott Rhodes (Addy); daughter Elizabeth (Rhodes) Reich (Frank); daughter-in-law Jane Firor;12 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and a devoted extended family.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 5 at Meldrum’s Mortuary, 52 N. Macdonald in Mesa, Ariz. Memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 in the Skirm Auditorium at Friendship Village, 2645 E Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ 85282.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: The John and Betty Rhodes Scholarship Fund at A New Leaf http://www.turnanewleaf.org or The Rhodes Chair at Baker University P.O. Box 65 Baldwin City, KS 66006-0065