Rhoda M. Beyer

Rhoda Mae Beyer of Riverdale, Illinois, passed away May 26, 2016, at the age of 88. She was born in Riverdale, Illinois, on August 23, 1927, to Louis and Martha (nee McGrain) Tatgenhorst. Rhoda married her husband the late Floyd Daniel Carl Beyer in 1947. She moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to be closer to their family.Rhodas early years in Riverdale were spent as part of a close-knit extended family including Grandparents, two Aunts and her beloved Uncle Harry. She told stories of receiving running tips from local Olympian Betty Robinson and took great pleasure in playing on the school volleyball team. Her interest in sewing began at a young age and evolved over the years, working for custom dressmakers in downtown Chicago, then on her own serving as a custom dressmaker and designer for many friends in the South Suburbs. These skills also were used by the local VFW well as a uniform maker for their parade teams led by her husband, Floyd. While in Michigan, she worked at Ruth Gordon Bridal Salon in Birmingham, MI and Darling Bridal in Ann Arbor sharing the knowledge she used to make her own wedding gown many years before. With cooperation of the University of Michigan, she was able to restore a collection of gowns and mount a show of First Ladies on Parade. Rhoda loved to attend and lend support to as many of her Sons and Grandsons myriad activities as possible. She was a familiar figure at concerts in Dexter, Ann Arbor and Plymouth. She led a very active life in Ann Arbor as a resident of Lurie Terrace, walking to town for coffee at Cafe Felix and attending concerts at Hill Auditorium. A life long member of the Order of the Easter Star, she served as Worthy Grand Matron of the Lowvalle Chapter in Illinois and later the Ann Arbor Chapter in Michigan. For the past few years, she was a well-loved resident of Star Manor of Northville regaling the staff with stories of Riverdale, her relatives and offering sewing advice. Indeed, she lived an extraordinary full life and touched many others in a most positive way.
Rhoda is survived by her loving son Bruce (Martha Scharchburg) Beyer, her beloved grandson Cameron Carl Scharchburg Beyer, and her dear brother Robert Tatgenhorst. She was preceded in death by her parents Louis and Martha, her husband Floyd, and her siblings Shirley DyShere, and Ray Tatgenhorst. Visitation for Rhoda will be Tuesday, May 31, from 2-8pm at the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home, 280 S. Main Street, Plymouth, 48170. Her committal service will be Wednesday, June 1, at 12 noon at the Cedar Park Cemetery, 12540 S Halsted Street, Calumet Park, Illinois 60827. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or the National Alliance of Mental Illness, P.O. Box 62596, Baltimore, Maryland 21264.