L J Rhodes' Obituary
L J ("Dusty") ("Jay") Rhodes passed away on Tuesday, February 27th at the age of 87. Jay is survived by his partner, Jan Ring, his three daughters Karen Wilson (Mark), Patricia Skidmore (David), and Pamela Schoessler, and his four grandchildren Joshua Schoessler, Brett Schoessler, Emily Schoessler and Trey Skidmore. Jay was born on a farm in Meridian, Mississippi and moved to Florida with his family in 1941 when he was five years old. Jay attended H.B. Plant High School where he was commissioned to the Naval Academy upon graduation. After leaving the Navy, Jay taught math classes at Hillsborough High School prior to attending the University of Tampa. Jay received his undergrad from the University of Tampa, then continued on to Florida State University where he received his Masters Degree in Math. While at the University of Tampa, Jay was a member of the men's varsity rowing team. He was also under the watchful eye of his father, Dr. M.C. Rhodes, who was the Dean of Administration at the time. Jay spent the majority of his career working at Honeywell as an Aerospace Engineer, where he retired after 35 years. Jay was an avid runner, enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, loved attending bluegrass festivals and spending time in the mountains, was a self-taught guitar player, and found the most joy entertaining crowds while playing with the Front Porch Pickers.
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