Wayne Edward Rhodes, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home with his family in Valparaiso, Indiana on May 15, 2025. Wayne is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marcia, sons, Kyle and Matt (Rachel), and grandchildren, Mason (17), Eva (13), and Brant (11). He was preceded in death by his parents Amelia and Edward Rhodes, sister Karen (Cyrus) Field, and mother and father-in-law, Genevieve and Willard Bernhoft.
Wayne was born in Buffalo, NY in 1938. He graduated in 1960 from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where he was a loyal member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. After graduating, he began a 36-year long career first at the Bethlehem Steel plant at Lackawanna. Then in 1965, he was transferred to the new Bethlehem plant in Burns Harbor and he and Marcia settled in Valparaiso. Wayne was proud of his decades of work at the mill and retired as a Supervisor in 1998.
A strong work ethic is one of his many qualities that Wayne was known for, as well as his love of the outdoors. He was able to combine those passions for several years as a Charter Captain on Lake Michigan in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s during the heyday of salmon and steelhead fishing. He would frequently run a charter in the morning and then go to the mill to work the 3:00 – 11:00 shift, drive to the boat to sleep, and then do it all over again the next day. They owned several boats over the years, and it maximized our family’s time on the water - fishing, water skiing, tubing, and anchoring at the beach.
Aside from the water, Wayne’s happy places were at Twin Oaks Lodge in Ontario, in the woods in a deer stand, and behind the wheel of his 1967 Camaro. His parents discovered Twin Oaks shortly after getting married and took Wayne annually throughout his childhood. With legendary smallmouth bass fishing in the summer and duck hunting on beaver ponds in the fall, Wayne made the trip as often as he could. Our annual family summer vacation was always a week at Twin Oaks where a lifetime of memories and friendships were made. Some of his proudest moments were watching his grandchildren catch fish in the spots where he had spent his entire life fishing. Those early family road trips also allowed Wayne to express his love of Frank Sinatra by playing albums and “singing” along, much to the family’s dismay. He was good at many things, but carrying a tune was not one of them!
Wayne enjoyed hunting every fall in Indiana and witnessed the change in wildlife from the 70’s when he could hunt grouse, quail, and pheasants in the area and rarely saw a deer track, to the boom in the deer population as the habitat changed. His passion for deer hunting led to many hours in the stand because a successful hunt was not necessarily harvesting a deer, but just being in the woods. After a lifetime of deer hunting, he was rewarded with a trophy 12-point buck late in the 2012 season. That was the last buck he harvested, although more important to Wayne was the venison.
In retirement Wayne was finally able to focus on his pride and joy on 4 wheels, a 1967 red Camaro SS with a white convertible top. He was proud to be the original owner and had it fully restored to mint condition. He always enjoyed taking it to local car shows in Valparaiso and Sarasota, where they had a winter home, and never grew tired of answering questions and talking about it. The car won many trophies at the car shows in Sarasota, with the license plate appropriately labeled “HD TRNR”…....and, no, it is not for sale.
He was the consummate people person with a great sense of humor – always sharing a story, a joke, and a laugh – a craft he perfected while entertaining clients on the charter boat. Those who knew him will always remember the many “Wayne-isms” that made him Wayne Rhodes, especially his laughter that would fill the room. Although he did not serve in the military, he had great respect for those who did and always went out of his way to acknowledge veterans. As a husband and father, he had many qualities that complemented Marcia’s to maintain the household and raise his sons. These include meticulous detail to house projects, woodworking, outdoor projects, and maintaining the boats, vehicles, and power equipment. At their original house in Valparaiso, Wayne custom built two sheds, finished their basement in a Western theme complete with bar and built-in cabinetry, and built several pieces of furniture. He was able to fix anything or knew someone who could. Leading by example and rarely taking shortcuts, his work ethic with these skills were passed down to his sons because “Anything worth doing, is worth doing it right.”
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dementia Society of America or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
