Blaine Edwin Rhodes

Blaine Edwin Rhodes (83 years) of Franklin, PA passed from this life into the next on March 19, 2020 at Family Hospice Inpatient Center in Pittsburgh, PA with his loving wife by his side. He was born on May 7, 1936 in Franklin, PA much to the excitement of his parents Isabelle Mae (Lindsey) and Boyd Park Rhodes. He was an only child. Blaine had bravely battled skin cancer for several years. He was preceded in death by his parents, son Jeffrey Rhodes, his uncle Errol Jay Lindsey, his mother-in-law Helen Donahue, and his cousin Dwayne Rhodes.

In his early teen years, Blaine worked as a watch/clock repairman in the old Kresge Building, and as a student photographer. He graduated from Oil City Senior High School in 1954 and then attended the former Carnegie Institute of Technology for a short time, where he worked part-time on the set of Mr Roger's Neighborhood. Blaine was a self-professed Computer Geek, having started a computer business in the 1978. He maintained this love of technology through the following five decades, and was always resourceful and a real problem solver. There was not a thing that he could not fix, hence the bumper sticker on his old Geo Prizm that said "I can fix anything. Where's the duct tape?"

On April 6, 2002 Blaine married his wife Desirée (Cessna) Rhodes. They enjoyed traveling in their RV together to see family and friends all over the United States. They visited almost all 50 States, except for Alaska, which was planned for the upcoming fall. One of his last bucket list items was a cruise through the Panama Canal this past February.

Blaine's father introduced him into the Water Utility Business when he was 13 years old, and it became his passion since then. He worked to provide this and other utilities to his community for 70 years. Later in his life, Blaine became the Director of District 6 for the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association, serving the association in numerous leadership roles between 1998 through the present. He greatly enjoyed traveling with his sons and daughters to water utility meetings and conferences all over the United States.

In addition to his wife Desirée, Blaine is survived by eleven children: Terry Rhodes, Thomas Rhodes, Randall Rhodes and his finance Jacki, Kevin Rhodes and his wife Joyce, Gregory Rhodes and his wife Edie, Elizabeth (Rhodes) Blum and her husband Michael, Cinda (Rhodes) Walentoski and her husband Randy; Lindsay (Rhodes) Fernández-Rhodes and her husband Juan Luis; Bryce Edwin Rhodes, Danielle (Cessna) Perlak and her husband Chris, and Ashley (Cessna) Plunkett and her husband Joshua. Blaine is also survived by his first wife Carole L. (Anderson) Yeager, who was the mother of his first eight children, and his second wife, Janet (Dougherty) Rhodes, who was the mother of his daughter Lindsay. Blaine was affectionately referred to as "Paw" by his 11 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren and will be missed for his big "Paw" hugs.

Our dear father and grandfather deserves a beautiful tribute. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and newly announced guidelines by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania the visitation which was scheduled for Blaine Edwin Rhodes will be postponed to a later date for the safety of the family and visitors.

Interment will be made at Brandon Cemetery at the convenience of the family.

Memorial donations may be made to the Venango County Humane Society 286 S Main Street Seneca, PA 16346.

Online condolences and flowers may be sent to the family by visiting www.HuffFuneral.com. More information about our protocol for the COVID-19 can be found on our Facebook page.