Kathleen “Kay” Rhodes, 85, of Iowa City, formerly of Waterloo, died at her home on Wednesday, January 24, 2007. She was born November 14, 1921, in Webster City, Iowa, the daughter of Nickolas and Margaret Hall Kennedy.

Kay graduated from Lincoln High School in Webster City in 1939 and received her R.N. degree from St. Mary’s School of Nursing, Rochester, in 1944. She married Lt. Comm. John P. Rhodes on April 21, 1946, in Webster City; he died June 19, 1980. After her marriage, Paul, who had served as a naval aviator in both the European and Pacific theaters during World War II, was stationed on Guam. Kay was nominated by Captain W. B. Marshall to be a traveling Red Cross Nurse on Guam and other islands in the South Pacific.

Kay was a devoted mother, a dedicated nurse, a devout Catholic and an Irish Democrat. who believed in a merciful God. Throughout her life, her Catholic faith sustained her and inspired those around her. She was active in the Catholic Church and charity work, especially through St. Edward’s parish in Waterloo. She had a particular dedication to the Social Concerns Committee, and the Sierra Club at St. Edward’s. She attended the Newman Center and St. Mary’s in Iowa City.

As a Registered Nurse, Kay worked at UIHC and Mercy Hospital in Iowa City and at St. Francis Hospital in Waterloo. During her nursing career she was a staff nurse, a head nurse, a night supervisor, a director of nurses, and an instructor of nursing. She served as a role model and mentor for countless young professionals, including her children.

Kay took great pride in the accomplishments of her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren.

Kay is survived by daughter Ann Marie Rhodes and her husband Steven Miller of Iowa City, daughter Elizabeth “Beth” and her husband David Knipp of Waterloo, daughter Teresa and her husband Dick McGee of Ossining, New York, son Nickolas and his wife Penny of Malibu, California, and nine grandchildren: Kathy, Beth and Molly Miller; Jennifer (Ben) Bamsey and Ryan Knipp; Michael and Patrick McGee; and Dusty and Jade Rhodes. She is also survived by two sisters: Patricia Donovan of Andover, Minnesota and Peg Rasdal of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, daughter Mary Kathleen Rhodes, sister Alice Chambers, and brother James Nickolas Kennedy.