John Calvin “Bear” Rhoads, 90, of Peoria, passed away at 12:10 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2015, at Lutheran Hillside Village, where he had been a resident since March of 2012. He was born on August 16, 1924 in Gray Summit, MO, a son of Boyd and Elsie (Bellar) Rhoads. They preceded him in death, along with his siblings, Harry Rhoads of Washington DC, James Rhoads of St. Paul, MN and Shirley Ann Sheridan of Peoria. As a lifelong bachelor, John is survived by nieces, Debbie Sheridan Cook of Lacon, Jenny Houston Rhoads of San Antonio, TX, Missy Sheridan Calcese of Bollingbrook, Kelly Sheridan Weishaar of Chicago and nephews, Harry Rhoads of Washington DC, Mike Rhoads of San Francisco, CA and Pat Sheridan of Peoria. He served overseas in the U.S. Navy during World War II, returning to earn a Bachelor of Science from Westminster College in Fulton, MO. He spent most of his working career as a Geophysicist with Shell Oil in the Gulf Coast, but retired early in order to devote his time and energy to family. Self-taught, John learned to write in Java code in his 83rd year. He eagerly helped friends and family to align their cars with plumb bob, chalk & cardboard. He will be missed and fondly remembered. A private interment will be at Brush Creek Baptist Cemetery in Gray Summit. Arrangements have been entrusted to Clary Funeral Home, 3004 West Lake Avenue, in Peoria.
| Scott Weishaar |
Enjoy your reward! |
May 2, 2015 |
Dear Bear,
I will never forget the joy of meeting you, the light in your eyes, the joy in your smile, and the passion for life you had which made me a better man. I'll never forget how excited you became when you learned I was in computers and could provide you with programming tools. A week after installing Java and a boatload of development tools on your PC you were emailing me with programs showing me what you had learned to do! Hearing the stories of you staying up late working on getting your latest program to run brought me great joy as you truly enjoyed a mental challenge. Pulling in your driveway to find you up in a tree cutting broken limbs while in your 80's scared us to death but showed you weren't stopping until you were done. You've made it now and can rest in your reward with those who preceded you. You'll be missed as the world has lost one of its best. It is and will always be an honor to have been your friend!
Much Love,
Scott
