Joseph Gerard Rhodes "Jerry" Rhodes

1957 - 2017

Joseph Gerard "Jerry" Rhodes

Joseph Gerard "Jerry" Rhodes (60) passed away at his home in La Mesa, CA May 16th, 2017.

Born in Owensboro, KY on Feb. 1st, 1957 and raised in Evansville, IN, Jerry was a kind, gentle man. He was also a very private person, not widely sharing the news of the cancer that took him. He loved traveling, adventures, joking and history of things and people which sparked his interests.

Born with a hearing impairment, Jerry did not allow that difference to impede or affect his plans and goals. Upon graduation from Indiana School for the Deaf, where the education he received would shape him for the rest of his life, he set out to live his life in his own fashion.

Jerry made it to Los Angeles as a young man. He also found a passion for surfing. That passion led him to Hawaii for several years before making the San Diego area his permanent residence. Jerry didn't just live in San Diego, He REALLY LIVED in San Diego! He studied its history and thoroughly explored the city and surrounding areas and loved to show visiting friends or family places of interest. He was truly an amazing Ambassador for San Diego.

Earning a Master's Degree in Cross Cultural Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts in Sciences and Liberal Studies, Jerry was also a Master Chef, a true culinary expert!

He was a Professor of American Sign Language at San Diego State University, Grossmont College and City College in San Diego. The reviews from his students are affectionate and a true testament to his character and his personal effect to their lives.

Jerry communicated to countless friends not via popular online methods, but kept in touch with those he loved by sending, without fail, handwritten cards on holidays and birthdays, postcards when he was traveling. He often made his way home during Christmas visiting a roster-list of friends and family, usually with a new recipe to delight us.

In 2012 his life was extended following a kidney donation from his sister, Marty. If you knew Jerry, your life was better and brighter and your world was a little more kind and peaceful. He reached out with a love to those in need, a true benevolence, a passion, believing in the basic goodness in people.

Jerry was preceded in death by his Father: Charles Harold Rhodes; Mother: Mary Lucille (Cecile) Rhodes; Sister: Brenda Sue Rhodes; and Niece: Dawn Marie (Rhodes) Stevens.

He is survived by Brother: C. Larry Rhodes (Debbie); Sister: Martha (Marty) McCoy (Mark), Aunts, Uncles and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and abundant friends.

From Jerry's favorite person in American History: "I do the very best I know how-the very best I can, and I intend to keep on doing so until the end." – Abraham Lincoln. He did.

Measured by any scale, Jerry was a man made of rare cloth, and we are all better to have been blessed with him in our lives.

Here's to a job well done and a life well and truly lived! We love you Jerry and will miss you until we meet again. In his beloved Hawaii, 'Ohana means family, and family means no one gets forgotten. Aloha and Mahalo Brother!

Memorial contributions may be made to: Indiana School for the Deaf 1200 E 42nd St. Indianapolis, IN 46205 (317) 550-4800.

A memorial and funeral service will be held at St. Joseph Cemetery at The Mausoleum Building at 2500 Mesker Park Dr. Evansville, IN on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 9am.