Rhonda entered into the presence of her Savior and King on Monday, September 14, 2020, at her home in Grain Valley, MO.  Rhonda was 62 years old.  She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2020, fought valiantly, and thanks to victory in the saving power of Jesus, she ultimately won the battle against cancer, death, hell, and the grave. 

Rhonda was born on February 12, 1958, at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO.  She is the youngest of three children.  When she was five, her parents packed up their family, put them on a ship and headed to Ethiopia to share the Good News of King Jesus with those who had never heard.  She spent her childhood and adolescence in Ethiopia, living through and surviving a coup AND a revolution.  Rhonda returned to the states to finish her senior year of high school at Tri-City Christian School and graduated in 1977.  She married in 1978 and had three children.  She served as City Clerk for the City of Lake Lotawana for 19 years and retired in 2017.  She’s most recently been employed part-time at the Mid-Continent Public Library in Grain Valley.

Rhonda wasn’t personally called to be a foreign missionary like her parents (though she desired to be), but she had a missional heart and continued the ministry of sharing Jesus Christ with her family, her church and her community.  Her ministry was simple and authentic…she just loved Jesus and loved others like Jesus does.  Rhonda had been a long-time member at Crossroads Church where she has faithfully served in Kidz Ministry as a preschool teacher and an AWANA leader for 20 years. She had been a member of nearly a dozen mission teams over the years going to Nicaragua, Peru and Haiti.  She has led and participated in many groups and Bible studies throughout her ministry.  Her ultimate mission was to her cherished family. She loved being a Mom and a Grammy.  This was her life…Jesus, her children, her grandchildren, and her church family…and this was abundant life.

Rhonda is preceded in death by her parents, Donald Jean Sidebottom and Phyllis Jean (Stoll) Sidebottom, both paternal and maternal grandparents, and three uncles.  She is survived by her three children: James (Angela) Littrell, Anna (Byron) Main, and Charles (Sara) Littrell; six grandchildren: Trinity, Julian and Raelyn Littrell, Aidan Adams, Evelyn and Aela Littrell; two brothers: Dennis (Karen) Sidebottom and Michael (Jeannie) Sidebottom; an uncle, Ed Stoll; an aunt, Linda (Sidebottom) Comstock; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements for Rhonda Lee Littrell will be as follows:
Visitation will be held on Thursday, September 17th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Crossroads Church, 900 NW Jefferson St., Grain Valley, MO 64029.  Funeral services will follow the visitation at 7:00 p.m. at the church.  A family graveside interment will be at Valley Memorial Gardens on Friday.  For our friends around the country and around the world, the funeral service will be made available by Livestream through the Crossroads Church YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/crossroadschurchgv/.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rhonda’s passion, the spread of the Gospel through Global Missions. Donations may be made to the Missions Fund of Crossroads Church, PO BOX 351, Grain Valley, MO 64029.  Memorial gifts can be digitally given to the Missions Fund here:  https://direction4living.com/give/.

Arrangements:  Royer Funeral Home, Grain Valley, MO   816-847-4441