Richard Sherwood Rhodes was born on January 7, 1937. Shortly after his birth, a neighbor came to visit, declaring that she had come “to see the newest little Rhodes bud.” The name stuck, and he was known as Buddy, and later Bud, for the rest of his life. Bud attended grade school in Dresden and high school in Jennings, where he drove the school bus. He married Helen Kay Brainard, in whom he said he “knew he had found a friend for life,” on January 20, 1957.
The two biggest compliments that Bud could give were that a person was kind, or that they were “good help.” He himself was known to be a kind, “jolly” and considerate man who often went overboard in generosity and hard work.
Bud never wanted you to lack anything, and he typically had ten times more of any supply than you really needed, just in case something should happen. He always had at least two reserve canisters of coffee, entire blocks of American cheese, and a full tank of gas. He drove the propane and fuel trucks for the Decatur County Co-op for 36 years, and if he came across someone who couldn't afford their propane, he routinely paid for it himself, especially if it was a family with kids or the weather forecast was bad. In their school years, his kids never did eat breakfast, but Bud got up every morning and fixed them chocolate Malt-O-Meal, just in case someone should change their mind.
Bud was soft-hearted and hated to see anyone suffer. He always let his kids bring home stray dogs; and upon witnessing his mother-in-law get a shot in the hospital, he fell flat on his face.
Bud was also generous in laughter and joy. If he found a movie or something he enjoyed, he just had to share it with anyone and everyone he could pin down. He was a talented storyteller: he could tell you a tale about the most ordinary things- like tasting chestnuts for the first time- and split your side open because he would make it sound so funny. He was fond of crooners and classical music. He said often that he never found anybody who enjoyed André Rieu (a Dutch violinist and orchestra conductor) as much as he did, and he was probably right. He claimed to have no musical talent, but a determined visitor to the Czech Museum in Jennings might discover that he sang in his High School Glee Club.
Bud's first significant job was working on the railroad, which he enjoyed, even though he once almost got plastered by a train which crashed into his work cart. He served in the National Guard and was always touched when people appreciated his service. He was briefly stationed at Fort Riley on active duty, where he learned to drink coffee “because it made you look busy.” From then on, he could be found drinking coffee at all hours, day and night.
He worked most of his adult life at the Co-op, which afforded him a steady paycheck to support his family. He was an extremely dedicated worker who often went the extra mile. Almost every weekend, a customer would find that they suddenly needed something, and they called on Bud, who obligingly opened up the store and took care of them. When he retired from the Co-op, they had to hire multiple men to carry his workload.
As dedicated as he was to work, the true exuberance of his personality shone forth the most in his favorite pastime: chopping wood. He rounded up his kids every weekend, no matter how hot or cold, and made them cut wood. Every once in a while, neighbors would get in on the fun, but nobody lasted too long chucking wood with Bud Rhodes. In the winter time, their house stood cheerfully: windows open, fire blazing and an interior temperature in the 80s.
Bud and Helen were also enthusiastic card players and loved to play pinochle and pitch with their long-time friends Daryl and Marge Hartzog and other friends from the community.
Bud was, more than anything, a family man. In later years he told everybody, “Now, don't tell anybody, but I never wanted to have kids. I just thought they'd turn out to be hoodlums. But I just got so lucky. I'm so proud of my kids. Every one of them.” He did a number of house chores, and always helped Helen do the dishes, often while singing her a tune. When she was working nights, Bud did his best to cook meals for his kids. There's a reason his daughter, Karen, learned to cook as soon as she could see over the stove: self-preservation. His most infamous recipe was the “Bronto-burger:” large, thick hamburger patties that were scorched black on the outside, and still raw in the middle. On his lunch break, he loved to come home and watch Sesame Street with Karen when she was little. He enjoyed the heck out of watching Jeff and Jerry play sports, and was proud of their athletic abilities. Later on, he was always ready to have a midnight snack with any of his grandkids that “just happened” to wake up a few hours after bedtime and find him in the kitchen when they were staying overnight. Root beer floats and cheese and crackers were staples.
Bud was also a homebody. He was born at his home a mile east and a mile and a half south of Dresden, KS. His mother died when he was about 6 years old, and he was raised by his dad and middle sisters, Meredith and Janet. As a young couple, Bud and Helen moved to Dresden. In 1969, they moved to Jennings with their three kids. Bud loved to be at home and was proud of his Jennings community. He only took a handful of trips out of the area in his life. In his view, there just wasn't a better place to be than Jennings.
Bud died peacefully shortly before 4pm on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 in his absolute favorite place in the world: his living room in Jennings, KS. He was the kind of man he himself respected: kind, and a hard worker, and he lived the kind of life he wanted to live. The regret of his life was that he couldn't keep his wife at home with him in his final years, due to her Alzheimer's disease.
Bud is survived by his wife, Helen, his sons, Jeff and Jerry, his daughter, Karen (Kevin, his eight grandchildren: Ben (Kelsey, Nickie (Mat, Corey (Ryan, Jessica (Tyler, Megan (Justin, Amanda, Katie, and Zachary (Maria); as well as Ben and Nickie's mom, Sheila, twenty-one great-grandkids and his beloved but rotund corgi, Jazzy.
Bud was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph Raymond and Zeta Ruth (Taylor) Rhodes, his daughter-in-law, Lisa (Temple) Rhodes, and his eight siblings, two of whom died in childhood: Russell, Marjorie, Zeta Salome, Meredith, Carol B., Patricia T., Janet, and Ralph A. “Buzz.”
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Thursday, March 5, 2020 at Pauls Funeral Home, Oberlin. Burial with military honors will follow at the Dresden Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 4 from 1-7:00 pm with the family receiving friends from 5-7:00 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in care of the funeral home or mail it directly to St. Jude's at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Condolences may be left at www.paulsfh.com