Rhoda Neidigk

Rhoda Colcord Neidigk (nee Elliott), was born November 16, 1919 in Winchester, Massachusetts, and died peacefully February 28, 2019, at 100 years of age. She was the daughter of Dwight Duncan and Lucy May Elliott (nee Heath). Richard and Ruth “Cricket” were her siblings. Rhoda was educated in the Winchester public schools, the Cambridge School for Girls where she studied retail, and the Massachusetts School of Art where she earned her college degree in fashion design. After her schooling, she worked in sales at a high end wool fabric shop in Boston.

During WWII, Rhoda attended USO activities. Her parents welcomed servicemen into their home for meals. Through a friend, Dorothy Osborne, Rhoda met Oscar Victor Neidigk, a sailor from Tomball, Texas, who was stationed at the Boston Navy Yard. They were married at a home owned by her family in Bridgton, ME, September 1, 1943. After marriage, Rhoda and Vic moved to New York where they lived till Vic was sent to England for the D-Day invasion. A challenge for Rhoda was learning to navigate the city's subway system by herself in order to shop and visit the museums.

While Vic was away in the Navy, Rhoda got acquainted with his relatives by living with them in Texas. When the war ended, the Neidigks lived in Winchester where Vic learned carpentry from Mr. Osborne. After Vic got a job with the Central Maine Power Company the family made their home in Maine before moving back to Texas. Vic worked in the oil fields while Rhoda was a homemaker. In Tomball they lived first in Great Grandpa C. F. Hoffman’s shotgun rent house (a former saloon with a bullet hole in it), then a new home in Houston, and finally a brand new house Vic built in Cypress.

Six children were born to Rhoda and Vic; Suzanne, Carol, Donald, David (whose twin died at birth) and Richard. From Texas, in 1961 the Neidigks moved to Hobbs, New Mexico where Vic continued working in the oil fields and Rhoda worked briefly at the Public Library. In 1984, after Vic’s retirement, the couple moved to Albuquerque.

Faith and church were important to Rhoda and Vic. They were active in many different congregations in the various communities where they lived. Their longest associations were with Christ Lutheran and Faith in Christ Lutheran Churches in Albuquerque where Rhoda enjoyed Bible study and playing piano for Sunday school and occasional services. A gifted pianist, she learned to play in early childhood and continued doing so throughout her life, even playing Christmas carols and hymns at her 100th birthday party.

Rhoda had many favorite memories. In early childhood, her cousin Mabel Duncan introduced her to John D. Rockefeller Sr. who gave her a new dime. In her youth, Rhoda enjoyed summers at Star Island, New Hampshire, a church retreat where her father helped restore the chapel. As a teenager, she and Cricket spent summers together in Bridgton, hiking and rowing on a lake and totally fending for themselves. Even as war was looming in 1938, Mabel took Rhoda, then a recent high school graduate, and Cricket on a tour of Europe, traveling there on a merchant ship. In Holland, a man asked her, “You want to see Amsterdam by night, yes?” She said, “No.”

In retirement, Rhoda enjoyed attending orchestra concerts in which her granddaughters Shannon and Rebecca played and taking walks around the neighborhood with daughter Suzanne. Each spring she watched with fascination as a returning pair of birds built their nest under the eaves of her back porch. Rhoda loved reading romance novels, clipping homemaking magazines, writing short poems and talking about theology, art history, fashion, music, entertainment, and just about anything else. She especially liked visits from friend Gloria. A favorite companion was Rhoda’s rescue cat, Teddy. With help from family, Rhoda lived independently in her home until September, 2019. In October she became a resident of The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho where she made a close friend, Millie, who greatly eased her transition.

Rhoda is preceded in death by her parents Dwight and Lucy, her sister Ruth Lloyk, and her brother Richard Elliott. Her husband, Victor, died in 1999. Also preceding her in death are a daughter, Carol and husband Kirk Smith. Rhoda is survived by her children Suzanne Martin and husband Michael, Donald Neidigk and wife Kathryn, David Neidigk and wife Sandra Player, all of Albuquerque, and Richard Neidigk and wife Brenda of Enid, Oklahoma.

Rhoda was called Grandmommy by grandchildren. They include Rebecca, Shannon, Pamela, Laura, Matthew, Nathan Stephen, Ceri, Stephanie and Kendall. There are 18 great grandchildren, Sarah, Paul, Matthew, Daniel, Jason, Simon, Ethan, Hannah, Megan, Benjamin, Madison, Abigail, Emily, James, Elizabeth, and Michael. Son Donald likes to think of Zachariah and Erika being on hand to welcome Great Grandmommy into her new home in heaven.

A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, March 7, 2020, 11:00 a.m. at Faith in Christ Lutheran Church, 1750 Faith Ct NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112.

Rhoda’s family are very appreciative of the loving care given Rhoda by the staff at The Neighborhood and by the Armada Hospice care team. Also much appreciated are visits by Pastors Eli Lietzau, John Plump and Jordan Schaller. A favorite Bible verse of Rhoda’s was, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6