An excerpt from her obituary:
MARCUS, RHODA, 78, of Pembroke Pines passed away Wed., Sept. 26, 2007. Beloved wife of Arthur for 58 years, a loving mother of Michael, Jonathan (Diane) and the late Benjamin, a cherished grandmother of Benjamin, Brett, Noah, Nikki, a devoted sister of 5 late brothers and sisters and an adored aunt of many nieces and nephews. She was active in many Jewish and community causes.
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My grandmother was the matriarch of the family, the leader of the pack. She was kind, loving, always there when someone needed a hug or advice. But she was also commanding, she kept the family in line ((Especially my grandfather, who was diabetic and so she made sure what he ate was good for him)). I grew up around the smell of fine perfume, Jewish food and the line "don't be Fresh." Which is what she would say to myself, my brother and my cousins whenever we misbehaved.
When I went to Florida for a visit, she was always there, waiting outside the terminal with a loving smile on her face. She was in charge of all the major family functions. During the Passover Seders I had at my grandparents house, when I was little, she constructed a full diorama of the plagues on the floor, by calling out the plague and having my grandfather toss out little rubber insects and frogs and having my cousins, my brother and myself crawl around on the floor to pick them up.
I will never forget the time she came to Chicago for my brother's Bar Mitzvah and we discovered her suitcase was unusually heavy. When we opened it up, we discovered half a dozen large cans of Tuna. As it turns out, she wanted to make Tuna Salad for the Bar Mitzvah, but was worried that they wouldn't have the Tuna she liked in Chicago.
All in all, I was and am truly blessed to have known, let alone been the grandson of such a great woman. She will truly be missed...
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Rhoda Marcus
1928-2007
