John Rhoades, Jr.

Waynesville- John A. Rhoades, Jr. of Waynesville, North Carolina and St. Petersburg, Florida passed away on Good Friday, April 14, 2006. Born in High Point, North Carolina, he was an only child and was preceded in death by his father, J. Arlie Rhoades, Sr. and his mother, Leona Burton Rhoades. He is survived by his wife of 28 ½ years, Nancy Banner Rhoades, five children; Terri Rhoades Boyle, and her husband, Scott Boyle, of St. Petersburg, FL, Ronald A. Rhoades, and his wife, Catherine L., of Lecanto, FL, Elizabeth A. Rhoades, and her husband, Michael Addy, of St. Petersburg, FL. John H. Rhoades and his wife, Sandra L., of Raleigh, NC, David A. Rhoades, of Tarpon Springs, FL; eight grandchildren, Matthew S. Boyle, Tiffany L. Rhoades, Jennifer L. Rhoades, Kalin Alexandria Rhoades, Hanna Pearl Rhoades, Katie L. Rhoades, Nicole R. Rhoades and Lindsay G. Rhoades. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville, NC, joining there on December 25, 2005 and a former member of Palm Lake Christian Church in St. Petersburg where he served on the Board of Directors and the finance Committee. John received his B.S degree in Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a cheerleader. He then graduated from law school at the University of North Carolina in 1961, where he was a member of the Law Student Association and the treasurer of Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity. After receiving his law degree, John moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where he worked for the Internal Revenue Service, then as a Trust Officer of Gulf Beach Bank before opening his own law practice where he was later joined by his wife, Nancy B. Rhoades. He was in law practice over forty years, but also during that time served as municipal court judge for several west coast Florida cities, including: Redington Beach, Pasadena and Madeira Beach. Prior to attending college, John served his country as an enlisted man in the Air Force. After law school he enlisted in the Air Force Reserve, Office of Special Investigations Unit where he served from August 1968 until October 1985 and attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was Reserve Deputy District Commander at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. While serving in the Air Force Reserves, John received several letters of commendation for his work including the Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Services which was presented to him in a ceremony at Macdill Air Force Base, Tampa, FL on June 22, 1982. Over the years, John was a member and worker of several civic organizations. He was a 43-year member of the Florida Bar Association, former executive director of the Florida Municipal Judges Association, former commodore of Pass-a-Grille Yacht Club and forty-year member of the Gulf Beach Masonic Lodge 291. John's loves included church, traveling, and his cats, especially his special cat, Patches. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 24, 2006, at the Waynesville Chapel of Wells Funeral Homes with Reverend Josh Cole officiating. Burial will follow at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Military graveside rites will be conducted by the Buncombe County Veterans Council. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Sarges Animal Rescue Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 854, Waynesville, NC 28786.

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