Tressie Lola Winfrey was born near Hale on Jan. 9, 1920, to James and Jessie (Biggs) Winfrey, the 6th of 9 children.
She accepted Christ as her Savior as a young child after attending revival meetings held at the Happy Hollow School. Lola was baptized at a later day in a horse tank on the Frank Parmer homestead across from the school.
The Lord called her home on Saturday evening, Sept. 7, 2013.
Lola attended school for 8 years at Cook School – District 86 in Yuma County, then two years of high school at Happy Hollow and then she and her sister Mabel boarded with a family to attend school at Idalia. She completed the 11th grade.
At the age of sweet 16, she married Reuben Rhoades on April 12, 1936. They made their home on a ranch northeast of Burlington.
For the first few years of their marriage, they had no indoor plumbing or electricity.
God blessed them with three sons and two daughters.
In 1959, they moved into their new home in Burlington and their son Paul and his wife Karon stayed at the ranch.
Reuben and Lola celebrated 68 years of marriage before Reuben’s death in January of 2005.
Besides being Reuben’s faithful helpmate and a devoted mother, she enjoyed being involved in various community activities: singing with her sister Mabel (Davis) for literary programs at country schools in the 1930s, participating in the town theatre group, serving as a leader of the Plainview 4-H Club, being a member of the Happy Hours Club (named top county homemaker by Western Farm Life Magazine in 1955), was a member of the Carousel Quilt Guild (winning many top awards at the county fair over the years for her handmade quilts). She was known among the quilters as the “Queen of Applique.” Lola taught herself to sew, making rompers for her first born son, followed by years of the family being the lucky recipients of western shirts, dresses, skirts, cheerleading uniforms and numerous doll wardrobes and blankets.
Thelma and Jean’s Barbie dolls must have been the best dressed dolls around! Her love of color was shown through her flower gardens and the hundreds of quilts, wall hangings, counted cross stitch pictures and many other hand sewn projects she made.
Her hands were never idle, always working on something. Going to a fabric store was one of her biggest pleasures.
Even though cooking was not her favorite chore, to her family and many others, she was a master chef. Everyone looked forward to her homemade meals, canned fruits and pickles, desserts and the wonderful pies.
Lola was preceded in death by her husband Reuben, son Doyle, and daughter-in-law Karon.
She is survived by her children: Paul (Marilyn) Rhoades – Burlington; Joe (Valerie) Rhoades – Burlington; Thelma (Dennis) Clark – Parker; and Jean (Ron) Weisshaar – Burlington and her daughter-in-law Wendy Rhoades (Marvin Taylor) – Lincoln, Neb.
Reuben and Lola’s legacy of 21 grandchildren, 2 stepgrandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren: Lori (Richard) Urie – Kelsey, Emily and Audrey – Arvada; Brad (Becky) Johnson – Eagle; Brett Johnson – Burlington; Evonne McCormick (JC Collier) – Brittany – Aurora; Coy Rhoades – Denver; Kim (Scott) Lee – Emma – Lincoln, Neb.; Dusty (Brandice) Rhoades – Corbin and Rachel – Roca, Neb.; Lori (Domenic) Llamas – Nicholas, Jessica (Paul) Grafmeier and Alyssa – California; Shawna Rhoades – Ashley Hunt-Crook – California; Jason Clark – Riley, Emma, Noah and Sadie – Parker; Joanna (Keith) Mauck – Daniel, Luke, Alaina, Levi and Trent – Franktown; Julia (Josh) Davis – Jack, Eleanor, Hannah, Audrey and Blaize – Franktown; Justin Clark – Parker; Jonny (Cara) Clark – Lauren and Whitney – Parker; Joy (Peter) Harrington – Simon – Portland, Ore.; Jenni (Marshall) Carr – Axel – Morgan Hill, Calif.; Josh Clark – Parker; Jordan Clark – Parker; Will (Andi) Weisshaar – Michael and Turner – Julesburg; Jeron (Jerilynn) Weisshaar – Kennedy and Maddux – Alma, Kan.; Tressie (Frankie) Delgado – Sophia and Tavien – Burlington; Tyson (Shari) Weisshaar – Kinsley, Braelyn and Easton – Burlington; and Carrie Weisshaar – Burlington.
Lola was looking forward to the births of two new great-grandchildren in the next couple of months.
Also surviving are two sisters-in-law – Beth Winfrey and Ellen Winfrey, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
Services are Thursday Sept. 12, 2013, 10 a.m. at First St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Burlington with Pastor Ron Lee of the Evangelical Free officiating.
Burial to follow in Fairview Cemetery, Burlington.
A memorial in Lola’s name will be for Caring Hands Hospice or the Carousel Quilt Guild and can be left at the Frontier Bank, 107 S. 14th St., P.O. Box 700, Burlington, CO 80807.
Friends may go to www.lovefuneralhomes.com to leave a message of condolence for the family and to sign their online register book.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Love Funeral Home, Burlington.
