Obituary of Rhoda E. Clark

Rhoda E. Clark, 98, of Zion died at her home on December 24, 2016. Both sets of her grandparents came to Zion for the Christian Catholic Church. She was born September 13, 1918 to Elmer Puhl and Rozella McCormack Puhl and was delivered by her grandmother, one of Zion's midwives. She attended Zion parochial schools and graduated from Waukegan High School. On January 1, 1937 she married Alfred A. Clark. They were married for 56 years and lived for most of that time on a small farm in Beach Park. Rhoda was a life-long member of the Christian Catholic Church (now Christ Community Church) where she served on a funeral dinner team, as a pianist for primary Bible school, and on the archives committee. She was retired from Nosco, Inc. after working as a cost estimator for over 25 years. Earlier in her life she had worked as a secretary and waitress. She had been president of the Lake County Home Bureau and worked with the Red Cross to teach home nursing at Victory Memorial Hospital during World War II. After retiring from Nosco she volunteered in same-day surgery at Vista East. She was preceded in death by her husband; her father and mother; brother Charles; sister Naomi Chrismas; a baby daughter; daughter-in-law Josephine Clark; grandson Michael Clark; sister-in-law Mary Jesperson; and many other family members and friends. She is survived by her son, Lee Clark and daughter, Susan Clark; grand daughter-in-law, Amanda Clark of St. Charles, Illinois; great-grandsons, Tyler and Darren Clark; her sister-in-law Marguerite Maxwell; and three nephews and a niece. She helped to raise her nephew, Larry Puhl, and her grandson, Michael Clark, after the deaths of their mothers. Rhoda's greatest love was her family and friends. She also greatly enjoyed playing the piano and singing. She baked bread and desserts from scratch every Saturday morning for most of her life. She also worked hard canning and freezing produce from their garden, although she often felt that her husband planted way too much. She was a 2nd generation, life-long Cubs fan. She loved spending time with family and friends at their cottage in Wild Rose, Wisconsin. A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 30, 2016 at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Road, Zion. Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m. with a funeral service to follow at 11:00 a.m. Her cousin, Reverend David Foxgrover, will conduct the service. The family is requesting no flowers.