James Rhodes Obituary

James Edgar Rhodes was born on December 5, 1927 in Canton, Ohio to Clarence and Genevieve Graber Rhodes. He graduated as valedictorian from Lincoln High School in Canton in 1945 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After a year of active duty, he enrolled at Ohio State University, graduating in 1951 with a B.S. cum laude in electrical engineering. As president of his graduating class, Jim was selected to deliver the student address at commencement.
Jim began his electronics career as an applications engineer with Industrial Nucleonics in Columbus, Ohio, where he met his wife, Caroline E. Roberson. Jim and Robie married in 1954 and went on to raise four children together. Proving adept at sales and management, he took on engineering leadership roles, first at International Research & Development and then at Endevco, which manufactured instrumentation for aerospace, defense, and industry.
In 1960, Jim and Robie moved their family to Southern California after Jim's transfer to Endevco's headquarters in Pasadena. They made their home in Glendora, where, over time, Jim cultivated a thriving garden of roses, irises, and Mediterranean-climate plants. Jim served as Endevco's chief engineer, then as vice president and general manager. After completing an advanced management program at the Harvard School of Business in 1971, Jim was appointed president and CEO of the company, which by now was the electronics division of Becton Dickinson.
Jim retired from B-D in 1976 to consult in high-tech instrumentation. He chose to retire fully in 1985 to care for his wife after her cancer diagnosis. Robie died in 1986. Always one to manage his affairs with forethought and vision, Jim decided to pursue graduate education. He completed a master's program in the management of information systems at Claremont Graduate School in 1989. He then taught for several years at Cal Poly Pomona.
In the early 2000s, Jim took up environmental advocacy, leading a successful campaign to preserve a nearby canyon as open space. He moved in 2016 from Glendora to a senior living community in Thousand Oaks, where he played competitive bridge well into his 90s.
Throughout his life, Jim applied his insatiable curiosity and encyclopedic mind to a wide range of interests. As he wrote to a childhood friend, "When in doubt, I try to follow the practice of moderation in all things, except a few which are somewhat carefully chosen and are pursued in depth." Here is just a sampling: reading on a variety of subjects, from cosmology to world affairs; nature photography; traditional jazz; cooking; classic films; genealogy; and collecting stamps, coins, and glass paperweights.
He was devoted to his family, with whom he shared his love of camping, hiking, and fishing in the High Sierra, among other pursuits. His convictions were reflected in his strong sense of responsibility, the respect and consideration he extended to others, and his positive outlook on life. Yet he never passed up an opportunity to savor a Rob Roy cocktail or a bowl of French vanilla ice cream.
One of the joys of his later years was meeting his daughter Sherrye Ward in 2016, after the two found each other through genealogical research.
James Rhodes peacefully departed from this life on January 27, 2025, at the age of 97. He was able to watch his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes win the national college football championship one week earlier. He was preceded in death by his wife, Caroline Roberson Rhodes; his brother, David Rhodes; his half-sister, Dianne Rhodes McQuarrie; and his granddaughter, Janelle Rhodes.
Jim is survived by his children: Sherrye Ward, Karen Rhodes (Robert Weiner), Steven Rhodes (Lisa), Richard Rhodes (Nancy), and Carol Razo (Henry). He is also survived by grandsons Derek Rhodes, Corey Rhodes, and Robbie Rhodes; and by great-granddaughter Harper Inglin, as well as a loving circle of extended family. We will miss that smile.
Gifts in memory may be made to the Sierra Club.
--Family in the care of Destiny Garcia, Funeral Arranger