Rhonda Gay Fellers

Rhonda Fellers passed away on May 26, 2026, after a long, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She fought to the very end, exploring every clinical trial and treatment and beating the odds for survival against this disease by over 10 years. Her last wish was to donate her body to science at the University of Pennsylvania pancreatic cancer research facility, so others might benefit from her journey.

Rhonda was born in Gainesville, Texas and raised mainly in Happy, TX. She received her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. She earned a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Denver – Strum College of Law and was licensed to practice law in three states: Texas, Missouri, and Colorado. She clerked for two Tax Court judges at the Federal Tax Court in Washington, DC. Whatever she put her mind to, she achieved and then exceeded.

Rhonda loved the outdoors, especially the mountains of Colorado. She enjoyed visiting national parks and had the chance to visit several, including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountain National Parks, plus all four in Colorado. Rhonda loved to play tennis and ski in her younger years. Later, she developed a passion for golf, both playing and watching. She especially enjoyed playing with her devoted golf buddies in Colorado. Rhonda also loved airplanes and flying; she achieved the outstanding accomplishment of earning her pilot’s license. Additionally, she visited both the Johnson and Kennedy Space Centers several times and appreciated that the Moon landing fell on her birthday. An avid reader, Rhonda owned enough books to fill the walls of a small library. Music was also a great passion of hers, with vast and varied tastes from rock to blues, country to folk, and classical. Some of her favorite artists included: Bonnie Raitt, the Eagles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Melissa Etheridge, Annie Lennox, and Brandi Carlisle. She loved attending concerts and sharing new music finds with friends and family. Rhonda also enjoyed traveling. Her international excursions included a Transatlantic cruise to Spain, and visits to France, Italy and Iceland as well as a trip to Scotland and Ireland. Domestically, Rhonda's travels took her to nearly all 50 states. Rhonda enjoyed attending annual holiday family gatherings and also attended nearly every family reunion for the past several years. In recent years, Rhonda even took family genealogy research trips with close cousins. She built a rich life with her longtime partner, Amy, and loved spending time with her and their four dogs, Hank, Beckett, Skye, and Sunny. Rhonda touched many lives, and we are all better for having known her. She cherished life, and her quick wit, wisdom, and positive attitude will be truly missed. The family would like to express gratitude to her oncologists - Dr. Wells Messersmith, Dr. Gregory Gan, and Dr. Mark O’Hara - and the medical teams at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center in Albuquerque, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Paoli Hospital in Paoli, PA, for their compassion and care.

Rhonda is survived by her longtime partner, Amy O’Connell, brother Michael Fellers, sister Laura Townsend and husband Trent, niece Nicole Masters and husband Eric, nephew Alex Julian and girlfriend Nadia and beloved cousins and close friends in Texas and beyond. She was preceded in death by her father James Norman Fellers and her mother Gaytha Ann Fellers.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you donate in Rhonda’s name to the Pancreatic Cancer Network or the UPenn Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.