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FANCY PASTRY SHOP
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| Shirley Rhodes June 19, 1924 - December 24, 2022 |
Shirley Heitman Rhodes, 98, passed away peacefully at Trinity Oaks Health and Rehabilitation, Salisbury, N.C., on December 24, 2022, surrounded by family.
Shirley was born June 19, 1924, in Lexington, the oldest daughter of the 11 children born to the late Raymond Lee Heitman Sr. and Bertha Shaw Heitman. She is survived by her son, Gary Rhodes (Scott) of Salisbury; and daughter, Teresa Young (David) of Lexington; and grandchildren, Todd Rhodes, Davey Rhodes, and Keegan McComb (Jason). She is also survived by her sister, Vernell Sutherland of Lexington; and brother, Rodney Heitman of Thomasville. Shirley was predeceased by her husband Thomas “Tommy” Rhodes; and her brothers, David “Dave” Heitman, W.F. “Pete” Heitman, Ira “Mart” Heitman, Vernon Heitman, James “Dick” Heitman, and Raymond “R.J.” Heitman Jr.; and by sisters, Margie Floyd, and Myrtle Everhart; and sister in-law, Doris Heitman.
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Shirley attended Reeds School, starting at the beginning of the Great Depression. She became like a “mother” as well as big sister to her younger brothers and sisters as her parents worked in the textile factory and farmed to raise the family. Following school, she worked at Dixie Furniture Company, where she met Tommy. They married on June 19, 1944, and shared 38 years of marriage until his death on Christmas Day, 1982. Following retirement from Dixie Furniture, she continued to work into her 80s at school and hospital cafeterias.
Shirley was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She was “Mammaw” to her grandchildren and was always encouraging and generous with them. She was outgoing and loved to gather with her family, friends, and her church family at Sheets Memorial Baptist Church, where she was a member of the Berea Bible Class and the Silver Ministries. She was known for her recipes which she shared with the funeral serving ministries of her church, and she also enjoyed reading, crafts and puzzles, and travel.
The family is grateful to the staff of Trinity Oaks Health and Rehabilitation for their compassionate care for Shirley.
Arrangements: The family will receive friends at 1:00 P.M. on Friday, December 30, at Davidson Funeral Home, Lexington, N.C. The funeral service will follow at 2:00, with Rev. Keith Heitman officiating. Interment will follow at Forest Hill Memorial Park.
To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of Shirley Rhodes, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.
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