James Max Rhodes, Sr. Brevard, North Carolina Obituary

James Max Rhodes, Sr.

<p>James Max Rhodes, Sr., 86, of Brevard, passed away on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. A native of Miller&rsquo;s Creek, North Carolina, he was the son of the late Smith Isaac and Zilla Cole Rhodes.&nbsp;One of thirteen, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Pearl, Sadie, Toyce, Claire, Jackie, Faye, Billie, Infant daughter, and Judy</p> <p>James, known as Jim, learned the value of hard work at an early age working with his father on the family farm.&nbsp; At the age of sixteen, Jim left the farm and enlisted with the US Air Force to serve his country during the Korean War as an aircraft mechanic based in France.&nbsp;</p> <p>After an honorable discharge, Jim moved to Brevard and met and fell in love with Joyce Love Raxter.&nbsp; Jim and Joyce married in 1955 and devoted their lives to raising four sons, all of whom earned engineering degrees from North Carolina State University.</p> <p>In addition to raising his four boys, Jim worked at DuPont for over 30 years, retiring as a Senior Site Operations Manager.&nbsp; Jim and Joyce were longtime active members of Carr&rsquo;s Hill Baptist Church, where both sang in the choir.</p> <p>Whether at work or at home, Jim put others before himself.&nbsp; Jim and Joyce enjoyed retirement with their family until Joyce suffered a stroke on vacation at Myrtle Beach.&nbsp; Jim never left his wife&rsquo;s side and took care of her for over ten years until she went to be with the Lord in April, 2019 despite overcoming his own health issues.&nbsp;</p> <p>Jim&rsquo;s selflessness, tireless work ethic, and seemingly endless compassion will live on through his survivors, including his siblings Ella Mae (Nick), Velma (Jim), Tommy (Phyllis); sons, James Max Rhodes, Jr. (Susan), of Florence, South Carolina, Mark Rhodes (Kerrie), of Cumming, Georgia, Jeff Rhodes (Sabrina), of Brevard, and Kelly Rhodes (Kristie) of Raleigh; grandchildren Joshua Rhodes, Emma Gainey (Nick), Sofia Rhodes, Mia Shook-Rhodes, Sadie Shook-Rhodes, and Jeremiah Shook; and his sister-in-law, Frances Bryson (Dick).</p> <p>There was so much more to Jim than can be written in an obituary. Suffice it to say, he was a gentleman in every sense of the word and will be missed by many.&nbsp; Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, September 12, 2020, at Carr&rsquo;s Hill Baptist Church, with Rev. Shane Hardesty officiating.</p> <p>To watch the livestream of the service at Carr&rsquo;s hill Baptist church, use the link: &nbsp;&nbsp;https://www.facebook.com/carrshillbaptist/</p> <p>To leave a condolence for the family of Jim Rhodes, visit &ldquo;obituaries&rdquo; at www.moore-fh.com.</p> <p>Moore-Blanchard Funerals &amp; Cremations is caring for the family.</p>
March 4, 1934 - September 9, 202003/04/193409/09/2020
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