Michael J. Rhoads' Obituary
Celebration of the life of Michael John Rhoads Born in Gary, Indiana on March 5, 1944, the son of William Earl and Roberta Rhoads. Died in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma on December 2, 2014, of cancer. Mike’s family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he was about 6 years old. He graduated from Sandia High School there in 1963, then studied accounting at Western New Mexico University in Silver City for a year. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 – 1968, playing the clarinet and bagpipe in the Continental Air Command Band, which was based at Robins AFB in Warner Robins, Georgia. It was there that he met Marylisë Pruett in their church choir; they married June 26, 1966. After Mike was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1968, they moved to Albuquerque, where he worked for TWA as an agent. They welcomed daughter Elizabeth Anne, born in 1970, and Thomas Michael,1973. As the children grew older, the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival became a special family outing, chasing the balloons and sipping hot chocolate.Once, Mike got to ride the Remax balloon to 10, 000 feet. In 1979, Mike was promoted to field administrator for TWA, and the family was transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with their home in Broken Arrow. During the next 23 years, he received numerous TWA awards for outstanding and dependable service. When TWA was bought out by American Airlines, Mike worked as an account executive for Worldspan, an adjunct of TWA; he was given an award for a total of 30 years of dedicated service in the company, in 1998. Later, he hired on with Premium Armored, servicing ATM machines. Travel was a highlight for Mike and Marylisë, and after their children were grown, they went to London; Rome; Denmark; Glasgow, Scotland; and Madrid, Spain. After retirement, two Rhine River cruises enabled them to tour the Netherlands (especially Amsterdam) and several other European cities. There they explored cathedrals, castles, gardens and museums in the various cultures. A member at Battlecreek and Forest Ridge Golf Courses, Mike was a keen golfer; he especially enjoyed being a volunteer at the U.S. Open, when it was played at Southern Hills C.C. in June of 2001. Besides golf, Mike’s hobbies included gardening, and he made backyard fishponds wherever they lived. He also loved the mountains and hiking. Mike was a faithful church member who served formerly as a trustee at Sunrise Family Church and again as trustee during the last three years at Heritage United Methodist Church, where he was active in Lyfe Bible Study. He was always ready to work around the church, wherever he was needed. All of this made for a rewarding life, but Mike’s greatest love was for his wife and family, who include daughter Beth and son-in-law Bobby Pielsticker and son Tom Rhoads and his wife Emily. Mike delighted in his six grandchildren — Shea (24), Peyton (21) and Michael Pielsticker, (10); and Chloe (13), and twins Ian and Mia (9) Rhoads. They have all been a source of pride and comfort. There will be a seventh Rhoads grandchild in February, a little boy whose middle name will be Michael, in honor of his grandfather, Mike is also survived by his brother Patrick Rhoads, of Albuquerque, and his sister Denise Wilmer and he husband Joe Wilmer, of Dallas. Thank you for your friendship and for sharing in Mike’s life. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the missions work at Mike’s home church, Heritage United Methodist Church in Broken Arrow. Funeral service to be held Monday, December 8th, 2014 at 11:00 am at the Heritage United Methodist Church in Broken Arrow, OK.
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