Leonard Clyde "Buddy" Rhodes Jr.

Leonard Clyde “Buddy” Rhodes, Jr. passed away peacefully on May 26, 2022. Buddy was born to Ruth and Clyde Rhodes on March 10, 1934, in Cleveland, Tennessee. He was a graduate of Bradley High School and Tennessee Wesleyan University. He served in the United States Armed Forces as a Personnel Specialist and decorated Sharpshooter from 1956 to 1958 and was stationed in Leipheim, Germany.

Buddy was employed as a Field Representative for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Thomas), Inc. from 1958 to 1962. He was the General Manager for Lake Winnepesaukah from 1962 to 1969. Under his leadership, the construction of the Cannon Ball Roller Coaster and the acquisition of the 1916 Philadelphia Toboggan Carrousel were accomplished. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and First Centenary United Methodist Church.

He started Rhodes Oil Company in LaFayette, GA in 1970. While to some, Buddy was in oil, and to others he pumped gas, he was always authentic. He was a member of the Association of Texaco Wholesalers and was a dedicated member of the LaFayette Lion’s Club.

Buddy was an avid outdoorsman, from hiking Mount Le Conte to boating on Ocoee Lake, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park was his second home. He loved to travel, from sailing in the Bahamas to exploring England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Buddy booked a European River Cruise on the Danube two days before he passed away. His Army sharpshooter rifle skills helped him bag white tail doves in Mexico and native doves on farms in Tennessee. Dad, Gamps, Bud Rho, Rhododendron and Clyde were a few of his monikers. Buddy was true Southern gentleman, thoughtful, kind and caring, with a dry sense of humor. He shared his love of life with many and while he always portrayed a calm, kind and relaxed demeanor, when it came to money he could “squeeze both sides of a nickel”. He was a member of the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club and also frequented the Cleveland Country Club where he never put his own name on the tab.

Buddy was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Barbara Blake and his brother Steve. Buddy is survived by his wife, Adrienne White Rhodes, and daughters Tennyson (Tommy) Dickinson and Talley (Jeff) Green. He was Gamps to grandchildren Taylor (Andrew) Cordeiro, Carter Dickinson and Myers Dickinson.

A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, June 8 at 1st Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where Buddy was baptized, on Church Street in Cleveland, Tennessee at 12 noon. The family will receive friends at 11:00 am at the Church. Interment will be held at the Chattanooga National Cemetery at 2 pm. Honorary pallbearers are Dean W. Chase and James C. (Jimmy) Wardlaw. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charitable organization of your choice.