Marianne Loving Rhodes

Marianne Loving Rhodes, age 87, has passed away on February 7, 2026, at her home in Lynchburg, VA.

She was born on March 19, 1938, in Lynchburg to Lunsford Lomax Loving and Rosalie Faulkner Loving.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded by her husband, Captain Willard Conrad Rhodes, her sister Rosalie Loving Short, and her son-in-law, Robert Troy Hight.

Marianne is survived by her children, Marianne Clark Hight and Willard Conrad Rhodes Jr., grandchildren, Tucker Hight (Chasity), Alex Balicki (Brandon), and Ella Rhodes, and her brother Lunsford “Tad” Loving (Karen).

Marianne attended EC Glass High School and later Salem College for Home Economics. She went on to be a bank teller at Central Fidelity and was involved in the Junior League and Colonial Dames. While her children were growing up, she started catering from her house. Later, when her children were older, she could be found every Friday and Saturday night for nearly 10 years preparing dinners for Nicholas Tavern dinner theater.

Most summer weekends for years, she could be found in the kitchen at VISA Yacht Club at Smith Mountain Lake. Although she wasn’t a sailor, she loved the friendship she found at VISA. While her husband Billy organized and planned the invitational regatta each year, she ran the kitchen and made sure everyone was fed. Even into her later years, she managed the kitchen during the youth sailing camps, cooking three meals a day for nearly 50 people. She always took care to be sensitive to every special need or food allergy.

Throughout her life, she was an active member of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church community. For many years, there was never a function in the church kitchen that she wasn’t a part of. Parishioners will remember her for her wholesome food at church events and beautiful arrangements as part of the Altar Guild and Flower Guild.

Marianne fed everyone. Neighbors, friends, children's friends, her physical therapy trainers, her doctors, her nurses, and the checkout clerks at Kroger's. She never went anywhere without taking food. And that almost always included ham biscuits and chicken salad. Her latest favorite was her salmon salad and mini chocolate cheesecake.

Most notably, Marianne will be remembered for her cooking. From her famous ham biscuits and green tomato pickles to years making cakes for every wedding in Lynchburg (and even some as far away as Atlanta and Kentucky) to Cook’s Alley and later Peakland Catering, now run by her close friend Beth. Anyone who knew her likely came away with a home-cooked meal or a jar of pickles or jelly and a good conversation. Many of her favorite recipes are included in her cookbook, Marianne’s Kitchen. Recipes from the cookbook are still in use by Peakland Market and Catering today.

A celebration of life service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. A reception will follow featuring Marianne’s funeral fair.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Meals on Wheels or Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church or a charity of your choice in her honor.

As a final gift to those who knew her, she wished to share her famous chicken salad recipe. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Marianne’s Chicken Salad

4 – 6 cups chicken breast cooked and chopped ¼ to ½ cup celery 1 cup Kraft Mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream Juice of ½ lemon Seasoning salt Salt 1 teaspoon sugar

Mix mayo, sour cream, and lemon. Add sugar and seasoning salt to taste. Add celery and pour over chicken.

“This recipe was very challenging to recreate. I have never measured how much salt and seasoning salt I use. When mixing the goop, I just taste it until it is too salty.” “

“To cook the chicken for the salad, I use 4 large chicken breasts; 2 with and 2 without bones and skin. I add a handful of celery tops, half an onion, a teaspoon of poultry seasoning, and a couple of teaspoons of salt. Cover with water and boil. Simmer for an hour and a half. Once done, allow to sit in the water for at least a half hour after cooking. “

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.