LAKELAND, Fla. — How can pieces of paper hold so much meaning?

What You Need To Know

  • Rhonda McDaris, a close friend of Travis Doodles, who rose to viral fame on the internet for her bubbly personality, has died

  • Travis, whose real name is Travis Settineri, has put together a funeral service for Rhonda this Thursday at 11 a.m. in Tampa

  • Rhonda and Travis' videos garnered hundreds of millions of views, all centered around Rhonda's life journey and Travis' kindness in helping her out

  • Rhonda was 61 years old

How can words on a page, or colors to a canvas, encapsulate what a person means to others?

Well, regardless of quality, it’s quantity that really conveys to Travis Settineri what one woman’s life means to so many people.

“This is just one of the boxes that I got,” he said while sifting through a box of letters.

Travis is known online as “Travis Doodles” and has millions of followers online where his whole social media presence is centered on being kind.

And one of those people where being kind, for him, was a given, was with Rhonda McDaris.

“She went, you know, 60 years without anybody really noticing her,” Settineri said. “And then when the videos started taking off, people could see her personality, you know, and they fell in love with her.”

Travis and Rhonda met at the end of 2022, where Travis helped Rhonda get some groceries and gave her a couple hundred dollars.

She had been homeless for a lot of her life, lost her legs and had really been struggling.

That initial meeting turned into a friendship where Travis would drive Rhonda around, spend time with her and even spend thousands renovating the bus she lived in into a nice home.

When we met them in 2023, Rhonda couldn’t believe it.

“I got really lucky,” she said at the time. “A lot of nice people and good people have helped me out. And really, it was a blessing.”

She didn’t have an easy life, but these last few years were rich beyond her imagination, in part because her videos with Travis went viral, garnering hundreds of millions of views.

“The internet just fell in love with her, and then she fell in love with making videos,” Settineri said. “So, she would constantly say, Travis, when can we make another video?”

They made several.

“Meeting Travis and everything,” Rhonda said. “It just changed my whole life.”

Last month, Rhonda passed away. She was 61 years old.

“I just can’t believe that I just can’t talk to her ever again,” Travis said.

He has put together a service to celebrate Rhonda on Thursday because aside from the virality of her videos with him and the internet popularity, Travis wants to commemorate a dear friend.

“She just started living with a purpose,” he said. “And she just, you know, she just started really living.”

While videos with Rhonda really added views to Travis’ channel, to Travis that’s not as significant as their bond.

It’s the bond these two formed that has given his life and so many others a special kind of kindness.

Rhonda’s service is being held at Crossover Church in Tampa on Thursday at 11 a.m.

Travis says people have reached out online saying they plan on driving over six hours just to attend Thursday’s funeral.