THEY were described as a "golden couple" whose skill, enthusiasm, and zest for life was unparalled.
Walter Rhoden and his wife Kathy Phipps were two doctors whose skills made a difference to thousands of lives, whose expertise and training made countless doctors even better at their jobs, and above all who were two devoted parents to teenage children Jamie, Emily and Olivia.
So many mourners packed into the huge Holy Trinity Church in Wentworth to pay their respects to consultant cardiologist Walter and his GP wife that they had to crowd together in the aisles.
The hushed congregation listened silently as the couple's daughter played an excerpt of Spring from Vivaldi's Four Seasons on the violin.
And they sobbed as Kathy's tearful sister Maureen, her voice breaking with emotion, pledged: "We promise you both we will love and take care of your three beautiful children.
"They are totally amazing and we will all love them so very much."
Read tributes to Walter and Kathy or add your own message in our book of condolence, click here.Walter, aged 47, a consultant cardiologist at Barnsley Hospital for the past 15 years, and his 45-year-old wife Kathy, who worked as a GP in Darfield and Wath and was deputy medical director at Barnsley Primary Care Trust, were killed when a car hit their Harley Davidson motorbike in Orlando, Florida, two weeks ago.
The couple, both motorcycle enthusiasts who lived in Hoyland, were on a popular biker route near Daytona Beach when a Nissan Frontier pulled across into their path. Charges are pending against the Nissan driver, 25-year-old Daniel Couse Jnr, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, which is treating the case as a traffic homicide investigation.
Their three children were being looked after by their nanny at the time of the tragic accident. They are now being cared for by their extended family.
Walter's friend from school days, Morgan Rue, travelled from his home in Luxembourg to pay tribute to the couple's intellect, compassion, patience, hard work, and total devotion to their three children.
He said they had both packed so much into their too short lives.
Rev Valerie Fisher, a friend of Kathy's parents Mark and Audrey Phipps, told the mourners: "The huge congregation here today, with so many of you standing wherever you can, is a fitting tribute to these two truly great people.
"They were such wonderful people - they really were the best."
South Yorkshire celebrity Bobby Knutt and his wife Donna Hartley were among the mourners. They had received a postcard from Florida from Walter and Kathy just a few days before their deaths, saying what a great family holiday they were having.
The family requested that any donations in memory of Walter and Kathy should go to the children's heart charity Little Hearts Matter.
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