Hilma Karoliina Rhodee

Carol Rhodee, 100, died on June 5, 2010 at Grancare Nursing & Rehab Center in Fond du Lac, where she had been a resident since 2007.Carol was born Hilma Karoliina Ronn on Feb. 1, 1910 in Wakefield, MI, the youngest of seven children. Her parents, Henry and Matilda (Palkki) Ronn, emigrated from Finland around 1890, and although she left the Upper Pennisula as a young woman, Carol remained proud of her Finnish ancestry for her entire life. She graduated from Hudson (WI) Hospital School of Nursing and moved to Oconomowoc WI in 1931, where she engaged in her nursing profession at Summit Hospital, Wilkinson Clinic and as a private duty nurse. Her first husband, Chester Daily, died in 1935. On April 16, 1938 she married Leander H. Rhodee. Together they operated a small produce farm and were very active in local politics, with Leander serving as 4th ward alderman during the 1940s and 50s, followed by five terms as mayor from 1958-68. Carol and Leander were active members of Dr. Martin Luther Church, and Carol also was a long-time volunteer at Shorehaven and Knollward Nursing Homes. In later years she indulged her passion for history by serving as a docent at the Oconomowoc Historical Society museum and Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, where she received several awards for her many hours of service. After 68 years in Oconomowoc, she moved to Fond du Lac WI in 1999 to be near her daughter, Mary Anne Arthur, who survives her. She is also survived by four granddaughters: Bonny (Thomas) Mueller of Oconomowoc; Mary (Henry) Muller of Boston MA; Carol (Brian) Field of Watertown WI; and Judith (David) Henning of Fond du Lac. She is further survived by seven great-grandchildren, two step-great-granddaughters; nieces, nephews and other more distant family and friends.She was preceded in death by her husband, Leander, in 1970; a daughter, Joanne Hammel; her parents; three sisters and their husbands: Alma (Nick) Hongisto, Hulda (Nick) Keski, and Hilda (Waino) Korpela; three brothers and one sister-in-law: Johannes, John (Sylvia), and Otto; two sons-in-law, James Arthur and Gordon Hammel; and numerous nieces and nephews.



Services: Services will be held at Dr. Martin Luther Church, 325 S. Main Street, Oconomowoc WI at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 10, followed by interment at LaBelle Cemetery. The Rev. Erik Gronberg will officiate.Visitation: Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 9 from 5:30 "“ 7:00 p.m. at Uecker-Witt Funeral Home in Fond du Lac, and again on Thursday, June 10 at Dr. Martin Luther Church in Oconomwoc from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.Memorials may be directed to Hospice Hope, Church of Our Saviour Ev. Lutheran, or Dr. Martin Luther Church. Special thanks to Hospice Hope and the staff at Grancare for their care and compassion during Carol's final weeks. Uecker-Witt Funeral Home of Fond du Lac is serving the family.