Jim Rhoades

(From Clark Funeral Home)

James Wesley Rhoades, 76, Neosho, passed away surrounded by his loving family on May 7 at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, following a sudden heart attack.

He was born on September 23, 1947, in Bethesda, Maryland, son of Albert Leonard and Rosemary Agnes (Patterson) Rhoades.

Jim and his wife Kate moved to the area in 1974. He worked as a chemistry teacher at Crowder College for 45 years.

Jim was a member of the First Christian Church and spent decades as an active member of the Boy Scouts of America, first as a scout, then an Eagle scout, and later a troop leader. He was an active member of his community, involved in local politics and philanthropy. Jim had a diverse set of interests; he was a chemist, an outdoorsman, a genealogist, a dedicated environmentalist, a world traveler, a coin collector, and an avid reader and writer.

Jim served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1971 to 1973 as a munitions specialist. He graduated from Grinnell College in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and then furthered his education at the University of Arizona where he obtained his master’s degree in 1971 and his Doctor of Philosophy in 1979.

Jim married Catherine Leland Weber on November 29, 1969, in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and she survives him. Other surviving family members include his son Ryan (Liz) Rhoades of Big Timber, Montana; his daughter Sherry (Brady) Miller of Topeka, Kansas; his grandchildren Samantha Rooney of Big Timber, Montana, and Anderson and Brooks Miller of Topeka, Kansas; his siblings Dorie (Craig) Ruhe of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Don (Cheryl) Rhoades of Gastonia, North Carolina, and Barry Rhoades of Macon, Georgia; and a plethora of nieces and nephews.

Jim was preceded in death by his mother, his father, and his infant son Randall Eric Rhoades.

Memorial services will be held at First Christian Church in Neosho, Missouri at noon on Monday, May 13, with Rev. Richmond Adams officiating. A visitation will be held preceding the service at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy or Doctors Without Borders.