Rhea M. Harkins, age 98, passed away July 22, 2015. Beloved wife of the late Paul W. Harkins. Loving mother of Eileen (Harry) Horstman, Kathy (Bob) Laufman, Patrick (Genie) Harkins, Mary Ellen (Art) Masson, Chrys (Donna) Harkins, Michael (Carroll) Harkins, Paul Robert (Brenda) Harkins, Peggy Judy and Peter Harkins. Also survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her niece Tracy Johnston (John Carroll). Will be missed by her friends at the Lodge Retirement Community. Many thanks to the staff at The Lodge Retirement Community and the Hospice of Cincinnati for their wonderful care. A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Margaret of York Catholic Church, 9495 Columbia Rd., Loveland. Inurnment Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Rhea Harkins never wanted to be the center of attention, but she loved parties and the excitement of many people around her. She took delight in the soft touch of a baby's hand and the smiles of her children and their children whom she taught how to live. Today she is the center of attention, and she would love to see all those for whom she was light when the room and world seemed dark and joy when the world seemed sad. If you asked her about growing up, you would get bits and pieces of the mosaic of her brilliance. You might have thought that she was born in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, where she grew up, where her mother Ada was hair stylist then postmistress. You might have learned that her older brother Harold, called Hoppy, and older sister, Ruth, would roll back the rug in their house for hours of dancing. But in fact she was born in Connecticut, in East Port Chester near Greenwich. Her father died when she was three in1920, and then the family moved to New Jersey. While at Ridgewood High School, she developed a mysterious disease. A cure was tried as she lived for a summer at a health home at Lake Como, Pennsylvania, that helped her gain strength and independence. The next summer was spent on Sprucehead Island off the coast of Maine. Her sister Ruth wrote of this time, "It was there, in that pristine setting, that Ruth accidentally discovered the dark side to Rhea's nature. One night she overheard her singing a bedtime lullaby to the two boys and it was, of all things, an adaptation of the bawdy 'Frankie and Johnny' ballad (sung at the time only in sophisticated nightclubs). She had improvised it one night in a devilish moment and now the boys demanded it as nightly ritual. It was probably the only off-beat thing that sweet 'Little Rhea' ever did...." Although she was brilliant in the world of books and creative arts, her illness put her out of the usual pattern for college study. She mastered secretarial skills at the prestigious Sherwood Business College, and went to work in New York City, traveling by public transport that used the George Washington Bridge or the Lincoln Tunnel. Mostly, she once told me that she loved to put on her dancing shoes and clothes and go to the city for fun. At work, she met Paul Harkins, a Greek and Latin scholar and former Jesuit, who was anything but happy in the world of insurance sales. He went out to Detroit MI to teach in a seminary and study at the University of Michigan. Rhea was happy working, and Paul was far away. In the world of how could this happen, she was subjected to wooing by letters, converted to Catholicism, and married in 1941. She was the most beautiful bride, and we have pictures to prove it. We also remember her typing Paul's manuscripts and exams on a standard typewriter with no corrections needed. In 1945, they moved with three children to Cincinnati. Paul was teaching at Mount St. Joseph, and after a few years was hired by Xavier University and his career as professor and translator. Rhea took to her life as manager of homes in Price Hill and Clifton and mother to nine children. She was saint and miracle worker. Saint because of her patience and love and faithfulness. Miracle worker because she turned the slimmest of resources into food and clothing. She also was worthy to be teacher of the year at any school. All of us who graduated know that Rhea was the principal reason we made it. When the family moved to Springdale, she met new friends in a new area. When the time came for her to move to The Lodge, she did not retire but shared her joy and gleaming blue eyes with friends there and at St. Margaret of York. Wherever she went, she was gracious in her thanks, ever pleasant in her gratitude. Rhea was a master of solving problems with a few words. More than once we heard the likes of "No blood, you'll live." "Do you think apples grow on trees?" For those who know what Catholics call the fruits of the Holy Spirit, you will recognize them in Rhea. She embodied love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Rhea was never one to speak many words, and as her physical abilities declined, she still could be decisive answering questions with a stoic "I'm fine" or a terse "no thank you." Having lived in four states, she embraced her home in Ohio. Once when asked if she rooted for the New York Mets, she said with a steely firmness, "I am not a Mets person." Still, sometimes her silence was as effective as an oration. She knew the value of keeping some opinions to herself. But this did not mean she had no ideas, and in the right context would give you an earful of wickedly pointed truths. She also mastered the wave of the queen as she would be wheeled in her throne on wheels, an impressive sight for those watching and waving back. She taught us by the way she lived and loved the important values we hope to exhibit as her legacy. She was a valiant woman and a pearl of great price. As the Roman legend of Cornelia has it (and there is a statue of Cornelia on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse), when Cornelia was asked where are your jewels, she pointed to her children and said, "These are my jewels." As we say farewell, we know that she is a jewel in the crown we see, brilliant and bright, smiling and enjoying those having fun all around her. She would understand our wish for sad moments, but she would not want them to last long. She knew the power of joy, so let us remember Rhea with the joy she brought us. Funeral Home: Tufts Schildmeyer Family Funeral Home & Cremation Center - Loveland 129 Riverside Drive Loveland, OH US 45140