Rhoda B. Gerrard, age 73, passed away peacefully at home on March 3, 2022, with loved ones at her bedside. She was born October 30, 1948, in Council, Idaho, to Carlos and Ella Weed.
Rhoda was raised in Council, Idaho, with her four siblings. On the weekends the family would go out looking for firewood and be sure to include a picnic, and some mushroom or huckleberry harvesting if the season was right. She learned the joys of gardening from her dad and sewing from her mom and local 4-H club, both activities that she continued to pursue throughout her life, making many of her own and her daughter’s clothes, and sharing the bounty of garden produce with family, friends, neighbors and the local food pantry. Her rhubarb pie, zucchini bread, and fresh raspberries were regular fixtures at gatherings she hosted at her home later in life.
After graduating with top marks from Council High School in 1967, she went to College of Idaho for two years, completed her secondary education degree at Boise State University, and in 1969 married Roger Gerrard. Shortly after she graduated, they began what would become several years of travel and exploration, camping and sightseeing on a shoestring budget, and moving and working in a variety of locations, including Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and California. Their daughter, Angie, was born in 1976, after which Rhoda focused on homemaking for several years. When Angie’s first grade teacher in the very small community of Parker Dam, California, left just a few weeks into the school year, Rhoda, as she so often did, answered the call to help. She stepped in to teach that first grade class and the next, before the family moved to central California. There, she took additional coursework to attain her elementary education certification and taught first grade in Tulare County.
In 1987, Rhoda, Roger and Angie moved to Emmett, Idaho, to be closer to both of their families. There, she began teaching kindergarten at Butte View Elementary in Emmett. In 1997, she moved to first grade, and continued to teach until her retirement in August 2009. During her career she became involved in several organizations, including the Alpha Delta Kappa teachers’ sorority and the Gem County Education Association. After retirement, she continued to work to serve students and educators, joining Philanthropic Educational Organization and Squaw Butte Retired Educators, serving a term on the Emmett School Board, and working with Friends of the Library. Along the way she made dear and lifelong friends.
Living closer to their families, they were able to join more regularly on camping and fishing trips around Idaho and Southeast Oregon. Some favorite locations through the years included Black Lake, Deadwood Reservoir, Goose Lake and Juniper Reservoir. She also hosted many a gathering at her home in Emmett for family and friends, especially in the summer when the backyard pool was open. She had a particularly kind way with children, making them feel seen, heard, and valued. Much of her time at the gatherings would often be spent showing them how to pick raspberries, pointing out a new book or flower, finding them toys to suit their interests, or just talking and imagining with them.
It's been said of her that she was “the best hugger,” a connector of people, kind to everyone, tactful, principled, a people person, welcoming, supportive, a mentor, a peacemaker, and someone who always made others feel special and loved.
Rhoda is preceded in death by her husband, Roger; her abovementioned parents; two brother, Jonathan and William and a sister, Helen. She is survived by her daughter, Angie; sister, Mary; nieces and nephews, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Charles, Michelle, Tahra and Kaylah, and numerous great nieces and nephews, as well as two loving dogs, and several granddogs and grandkitties.
A service will be held April 9th, 2022, at 2:00 PM, at Potter Funeral Chapel in Emmett.
Charitable donation can be offered to the Nature Conservancy or your favorite public library in Rhoda’s name.
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