George Rhoads Obituary

George Ervin Rhoads, 93, of Wabash, Indiana, died on Sunday, September 8, 2024, at 2:13 pm at Parkview Wabash Hospital, surrounded by his family. He is survived by three of his four children; Colleen (Dave) Coble, Rick (Joen) Rhoads, and David (Jennifer) Rhoads. He was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Peggy Rhoads, his parents, Hazel Gray and Norman Rhoads, his son, Randy Rhoads, as well as four brothers, one sister, two half-brothers, and three half sisters.

George was born on February 22, 1931 in Wabash, Indiana to Hazel (Kumley) Gray and Norman Rhoads. He and Peggy Everroad married on December 16, 1950. They met at church in 1948 and married two years later. They started married life in Wabash before he went off to the Korean War where he served in the Army. They moved to Marion and eventually to a farm in southern Wabash County where the kids grew up surrounded by pets, horses and farm animals. George loved his family and grandchildren dearly. He was an avid outdoorsman, and the kids grew up eating things like fish, frog, turtle, squirrel, and deer. He could skin a squirrel in less than a minute and sold DVDs of his extraordinary method. He was a Wabash police officer from 1953-1957, then worked at Fisher Body (now GM) in Marion, IN as a guard until his retirement. Every summer he and Peggy took the kids on western vacations to Seattle, Yellowstone, or Phoenix.

His nine grandchildren Dave (Donna) Coble, Amie (Brian) Murphy, Kara (Mark) Davy, Stacie (Rhoads) Parrett, Joshua (Abby) Rhoads, Jolleen (Michael) Schemenaur, Jacob (Brittany) Rhoads, Adam (Hannah) Rhoads, Brandy (Trenton) Gambrell and twenty-six great grandchildren plus two great-great-grandsons with another one on the way. His family remembers him for his is deep voice and ready smile whenever they came to the house. Small grandchildren and great-grandchildren always found a welcoming lap to climb into, and he often got on the floor to play with them. He took every grandkid out fishing and to hunt for ground puppies at the old Native American springs on the property.

Funeral services will be 2:00 pm, Thursday, September 12, at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Avenue, Wabash with his grandson, Chaplain, Captain, Adam Rhoads, of the United States Air Force presiding over the ceremony. Burial will be in Friends Cemetery, Wabash. Friends may call 12:30 – 2:00 pm, Thursday at the funeral home.

The memorial guest book for George may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.