Ralph E. Rhoden

LAKELAND - Mr. Ralph E. Rhoden, 65, passed away Thurs., March 25, 2010 of heart failure at Brookside Hospice in Palm Harbor, FL. Mr. Rhoden is born March 24, 1945 in Fort Meade, FL and was a lifelong resident of central Florida. He was a Route and Dispatch Manager for the Lakeland Ledger and Tampa Tribune. Mr. Rhoden was a member of Lake Buffum Baptist Church, Fort Meade and a Fort Meade High School graduate. Mr. Rhoden was preceded in death by his mother, Lovey Gilley Rhoden. He is survived by his daughters, Karin Langlais, Clearwater, FL and Lisa Rhoden, Maggie Valley, NC; father, Rev. Carroll Rhoden and wife Louise, Fort Meade, FL; brother, C.L. Rhoden, Jr., Fort Meade, FL; grandchildren, Rhianna Langlais and Cecelia Rhoden and several aunts and uncles. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m., Tuesday; March 30, 2010 at Lake Buffum Baptist Church, Fort Meade, with Rev. William F. Ivey officiating. Interment will follow in Lake Buffum Baptist Church Cemetery. Hancock Funeral Home, Fort Meade. 863-285-8171.