Joseph Harold Rhodes

Joseph Harold Rhodes passed away in Prescott, Arizona on February 11, 2015. Born August 3, 1934 in Clifton, NJ, Joe was the eldest son of the late Joseph and Julia Quinn Rhodes. He is survived by his wife, Peg; daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter Janine, John and Christiane Mura of Louisville, KY; son Jeffrey Rhodes of Lakewood, CO; brother and sister-in-law Fred and Audrey Rhodes, Bricktown, NJ; sisters-in-law Mary Rhodes, Pinehurst, NC; Barbara DeLorenzis, Wayne, NJ; Lillian Fryman, Mount Arlington, NJ; several nieces and nephews. After graduation from St. John’s High School, Paterson, NJ, Joe served in the army as SP3 and FC Crewman. He joined Burroughs Corporation in Paterson; later, Allen Organs, White Plains, NY; Bendix Aerospace, Teterboro, NJ. In 1980 he received a B.S. in Industrial Technology from Montclair State College, NJ. Joe, Peg and their children moved from Totowa, NJ, to Prescott in 1982. He was the electrician at Yavapai College, where he also taught and oversaw electrical wiring labs for students in the College’s annual home-building projects. Retiring in 2006, he assisted in electrical projects at the College Performance Hall. An avid bicyclist, Joe was often seen around town on his 5-mile bike rides. An organ enthusiast, Joe pursued a love of pipe and electronic organs by attending performances of renowned organists in the U.S. During vacations in Italy, Sicily and Spain, he sought out grand old pipe organs in great cathedrals. A cherished event was his personal tour of Fratelli Ruffati organ factory, Padua, Italy Joe was a sacristan and altar server at Sacred Heart Church, and a valued volunteer in Yavapai Regional Medical Center Emergency Department.