HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Sept. 7 – Rondi Lee Arlton passed away at her home on Saturday, September 4, 2010. She was born on July 19, 1953 to Roland and Marie Arlton in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She attended public school in Lennox, SD, followed by college at Augustana College in Sioux Falls. She graduated in 1975 and moved to Carbondale, Illinois, where she completed her MS in Rehabilitation Counseling at Southern Illinois University.

Rondi worked in the mental health field until the early 1980s, working with autistic children (in South Dakota) and special needs adults (in Illinois). Her final position in mental health was as director of a mental health day care facility in Carbondale.

In 1982, Rondi married John Eastby, with whom she raised their daughters Karin (b. 1989) and Nitra (b. 1992). In 1983, Rondi and John moved to St. Cloud, MN, where in 1984 she began work in the securities industry with Edward Jones Co. She was ultimately moved to the home office in St. Louis, MO, necessitating regular commutes between St. Louis and St. Cloud. In 1989, the family moved to Hampden-Sydney where they have resided since.

From 1989 to 1994, Rondi took time off from work so that she could spend more time with her two young children. In 1994, she began teaching part-time at Farmville Playschool. Since 1998, she has been the assistant to the director of the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden-Sydney College.

Mrs. Arlton was a regular member of College Presbyterian Church choir, and she led the youth music ministry at College Church for many years. She performed traditional music irregularly with the Arltones at College Church and more regularly sang with the Commonwealth Chorale. She dedicated time to Prince Edward County Schools, volunteering for in-class programs, occasionally writing event articles for cross country and track, and serving on the TAG supervising committee. She embraced the mission of the Wilson Center whole-heartedly and tried to serve the Center with dedication and imagination.

She lived actively and encouraged others to do so as well. She concentrated her time, with evident satisfaction, on her family, her faith, and her community. She was an avid gardener, a part-time poet artist, and an informal photographer, and she enjoyed the family's annual trip to the beach more than any week of the year.

She is survived by her husband John Eastby; daughters, Karin (21) and Nitra (18); father, Roland Arlton (Lennox, SD) and seven brothers and sisters, Hans Arlton Minneapolis, MN; Rolf Arlton Fairfield, IA; Ingrid Putnam (Larry), Andrea and Luke, Rapid City, SD; Nitra Doyle (Patrick), Philip and Sean, Omaha, NE; Solvei Stohl (Peter), Kaunas, Lithuania; Elise Hickey (Michael), Ivan and Kiersten, Cody, WY; and Erik Arlton (Lula) Matthew, Sioux Falls, SD. Rondi was preceded in death by her mother, Marie Arlton and sister, Kristy Arlton.

A memorial service will be held Friday, September 10, at 3:30 p.m. at College Presbyterian Church in Hampden-Sydney.

The College Church music and youth music program were of special importance to Rondi, as were the Commonwealth Chorale and the Wilson Center. The family owes a special thanks to the Cancer Center at the University of Virginia. We would direct memorials to any of these programs.

Puckett Funeral Home, Farmville, is in charge of arrangements.

www.puckettfh.com