Rhonda (New) Mcdonald

Rhonda Ann (New) McDonald, age 50, of Gardner, Kansas, formerly of Paola, passed away August 30, 2015. Rhonda was the youngest of four children born to Kenneth Dean and Marilyn Jean (Roush) New. She was born in Ottawa, Kansas on November 28, 1964. She grew up in Paola and graduated from Paola High School with the Class of 1983. She served her country with the United States Navy during Desert Storm. Rhonda was stationed in San Diego, California, Florida, Japan, and Hawaii. She was a mechanic working on military helicopters. She was united in marriage to Michael Andrew McDonald on January 8, 1996, at Miami, Florida. They made their home in Paola for nine years and moved to Gardner, Kansas in 2003. They became the parents of two children, Dylan and Savannah. Rhonda worked as an artist for Gill Studios in Lenexa for 14 years. She then went to work for Century Link at Gardner in their I.T. Department and had been there 8 years. She enjoyed playing Bunco, growing flowers, shopping, traveling, and most of all spending time with her family and friends. She naturally acquired her better-than-average cooking and baking skills from her mother. Her extensive collections included American d"cor, Precious Moments figurines, antique ceramic crocks, and a huge trough full of match books which she and many of her family and friends got for her from all over the country. She is survived by her husband Mike, son Dylan, daughter Savannah, all of the home; her parents Ken and Marilyn New of Paola; father-in-law Mike McDonald and his wife Judy of Omaha, NE; mother-in-law Sharon White and her husband Ken of Albuquerque, NM; siblings Tammy Bell (Tony) of rural Osawatomie, Randy New of Paola, and Debby Stout (Shane) of rural Lane; sister-in-law Shannon Nelson (Greg) of Papillion, NE; brother-in-law Kevin McDonald of Albuquerque, NM; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dylan & Savannah McDonald Education Fund or Hillsdale Presbyterian Church and sent in care of Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, 605 O'Neal Ave., Osawatomie, KS, 66064. To leave a special message for her family, please click the "Share Memories" tab above. Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, 22875 W. 255th St., Hilldale, KS Service: Friday, September 04, 2015 at 10:30 AM Visitation: Thursday, September 03, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM