Stephen Rhodes

Stephen Rhodes Jr., age 87, of Somerset, New Jersey, passed Sunday, February 2, 2025,with his beloved wife and son at his side.
Stephen was a native of Staten Island and born to Stephen and Mary Rhodes. He
graduated from New Dorp High School in 1955. He continued his education at Hunter
College and City College in New York, studying Engineering. During his college years
he worked at Shoals Dock and as a mate on the fishing boats Miss Moore and Teal,
owned by Captain Fred Moore. He took the FDNY test while in college and decided to
start his career in the FDNY to help support his family, rather than complete his degree.
He joined the FDNY in 1959 and rose to the position of Chief Marine Engineer on the
largest fireboat in the United States - Marine Company s Firefighter - based in St.
George, Staten Island. Stephen served in the Army National Guard during the s and split his time between the FDNY and the National Guard to serve both his country and his local community. He retired from the FDNY in 1981 and then became the Chief
Marine Engineer on the Governor s Island Ferry the same year.
Stephen was awarded the Department of Transportation s Medal of Valor in 1991. He
was flown to Washington D.C. for the award after he saved 43 lives onboard the
Governor s Island ferry on April 13, 1991. The ferry went on fire while Stephen was
doing routine inspections on the main level of the ferry. The oiler in the engine room ran from the engine room fire, telling my father to get everyone ready to abandon the ferry. Instead, he jumped into action, ran into the blazing engine room and single-handedly put out the fire, saving the lives of all those on board. He was later injured in a docking accident on the ferry in 1993, which caused him to retire.
Stephen was a tireless worker and took on additional side jobs during his time with the
FDNY and Governor s Island Ferry. He worked for many years during the s and
s at Staten Island Yacht Sales as a lead mechanic, electronics installer, and boat captain. He earned his 100-ton Masters Captains License and started running his own charter fishing business on his boat, Linesider, in 1982. He became one of the top charter captains in the northeast, specializing in striped bass and bluefin tuna charters. Stephen made the tough decision to close his business in 1988 when his daughter, Sandra, a senior studying astronautical engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy, died in a car accident a month before her graduation and appointment to flight school.
In his personal life, Stephen was perhaps best known for being a world-class boat captain and fisherman. In the s and s he fished on his family boat - PIPP - with his two brothers, Richard and Ronald, and father, Stephen Sr. They were pioneers in offshore fishing, traveling the east coast from Gloucester to Cape Hatteras catching bluefin tuna, white marlin, and striped bass. The PIPP was a member of the Staten Island Tuna Club team that won the United States Atlantic Tuna Tournament in 1971, considered the world series of big game fishing at the time. He continued to fish until the end of his life on his custom sportfisherman, Legacy, winning several big game tournaments and catching a New Jersey state record thresher shark in 1997. He was also a world traveler and fished extensively on both coasts of the United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Prince Edward Island, Cabo San Lucas, Panama, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and the Bahamas with his son, Stephen III.
Stephen met the love of his life Maryann on a fireworks cruise on the Miss Moore in
1964. He was a sports car enthusiast at the time and sold his 1963 split-window Corvette in order to buy Maryann s engagement ring. They were married on October 24 th 1965.
They took their honeymoon in Florida and attended their godson Michael s baptism
during the trip. Stephen and Maryann s marriage was blessed with two children: Sandra
and Stephen. They enjoyed a loving and devoted marriage of 59 years. He and Maryann served as Presidents of the US Air Force Academy Parents Club of Greater New York. They also befriended a NASA astronaut, Tom Henricks, who flew their daughter Sandra s Air Force Academy class ring on space shuttle Columbia. Stephen and Maryann were active members of the Hillside Swim Club for over 40 years
Later in life they purchased a winter home in Palm Harbor, Florida, and split their time
between New Jersey and Florida. They were blessed with two grandchildren - John and Hunter - who have continued the family legacy of being all around sportsmen and
scholars. Stephen was most proud of his grandsons skills and was a loving grandfather - attending games, concerts, and taking his grandsons fishing. He made a treasure trove of friends on the water including many at the Great Kills Yacht Club where he was a frequent visitor.
Friends may visit with the family at the John Vincent Scalia Home for Funeral at 28
Eltingville Blvd. Staten Island, NY, on Monday, February 10, 2025 from 2-4 PM and 7-9
PM.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, February 11 at Holy Child
Church, Eltingville, where a Funeral Mass will be offered. Burial will follow at the
Cemetery for the Resurrection, 361 Sharrott Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.