Sylvia Faye Rhodes

Sylvia F. Rhodes, Owner of B&B Tax Service, passed away on Tuesday, August 27, 2019, at the age of 96 years, 2 months and 4 days.

She was born in Lewistown, Montana, to Myrtle Johnson Field and Harry R. Field on June 23, 1923. Her father died when she was 12 years old, and the family moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma. In 1936, they moved to Hominy where she lived for 84 years.

She graduated from Hominy High School in 1941, and later became a founding member of “Save Our School” (SOS), the organization which was created to save the old High School building. She served on their Board of Directors, as well as on the Board for the Alumni Association. The Alumni Association was founded by her brother Louis Field in 1952.

As a Gold Star Wife, she was a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 142 Auxiliary. She served as Secretary/Treasurer and held the office of President over the span of 30 years. In 2008 she was honored with the “Very Important Member Lifetime Achievement Award”.

She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, and Eastern Star Rebekah Lodge, where she played the piano for over 30 years. She served as a Board member for the Hominy Health Clinic. She re-started the Girl Scout program, was active with the Cub Scouts, and for years, ran the Chamber of Commerce Teacher’s Breakfast to welcome new teachers to Hominy each year. She started the Christmas Basket program that was later sponsored by Christ’s Cupboard and overseen by the Ministerial Alliance. She delivered as many as 150 baskets in some years for this organization. She was a longtime volunteer at the Red Cross.

In 1942 she married Billy Gene Starks, Sr. in Sapulpa, OK. They had two children, Bonnie Jean and Bill Gene, Jr. Her husband was killed in action in Manila, Philippines, on February 12, 1945. In 1966 she married former Hominy Mayor, Ralph B. Rhodes, who pre-deceased her in 1980.

During Sylvia’s life she was a reporter for the Hominy News/News-Progress for over 65 years. She owned a beauty salon, B&B Grocery, and worked for the United States Postal Service. For the past 60 years she owned and operated B&B Tax Service, which she retired from at the end of 2014, at the age of 91.

In 2019 she received the first Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hominy Heritage Association in recognition of her service and contributions to Hominy.

She is survived by her son, Bill G. Starks, Jr. and wife Bunny (Charlyena) of Loveland, CO; her grandchildren: Bridget Lancaster (Gary), Cypress, TX; Shelley Johnson (Scott), Fort Collins, CO; and Matthew Starks (Beth), Champaign, IL. She has one great granddaughter, Briana Lancaster, and seven great grandsons, Alex Johnson, Spencer Johnson, Logan Starks, Luke Starks, Duncan Starks, Trey Mann, and Troy Lancaster. She has many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. Her family also included Ralph’s daughter Elaine Frailey (Ken), and her children Denise, John and Dana, and their children and grandchildren.

Special people in her life included Babo Carter, Billy Dilley, Joie Ratliff, Carol Moore, Carolyn Surritte, Larry and Clare Eulert, Cha Tullis, Susie Tisdale, and many others, too numerous to mention. Last, but not least, her dear friend Harry Red Eagle, Jr., who pre-deceased her.

Sylvia was pre-deceased by her daughter, Bonnie Jean, her grandson, Brian Young, and her parents, as well as her sisters: Clarice Buchanan (Gale), Virginia Alexander (Wayne), and her brothers: Cecil Field (Mildred), Hugh McKee (Bonnie), Morris Field (Marie), Bennie Field (Louise), Victor Field (Vivian), Sam Field (Margaret), and Louis Field.

Visitation is at the Powell Funeral Home on Friday, August 30, 2019. Services will be held at 11 A.M. at the First United Methodist Church in Hominy, on Saturday, August 31, 2019. Her final resting place will be at A. J. Powell Memorial Cemetery, Hominy, OK.

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