Vernon Lee Rhodes, 65, of Newcastle, died Nov. 30 at Miles Memorial Hospital after a six-year battle with cancer. He was born on Oct. 17, 1946 in Cambridge, Mass., the son of Vernon Lee Rhodes Sr. and Jane E. (Thorne) Rhodes. He grew up and went to school in Cambridge, Mass., Fairbanks, Alas. and Concord, Mass., where he graduated from Concord/Carlisle High School, class of 1964.
Vern was a bit of an adventurer, working and living in many states. After graduating high school he joined the U.S. Navy and built schools and hospitals in Guam. He lived in Hawaii and California, was a firefighter in Oregon and a gold miner in Alaska where he also worked for the Operating Engineer Local 4 union on the Trans-Alaskan pipelines. When he returned to Massachusetts in the early eighties, he started his own business, renovating old brownstones in downtown Boston and building homes in the suburbs. It was in Boston where he met and fell in love with Gisela Heimsath who had come from Germany to study English. They married less than a year later in 1985 and, in 1992, bought a farm in Jefferson, Mass., which they converted into a center for therapeutic riding.
Vern and Gisela moved to Maine in 2004 and settled in Newcastle where they bought the Hale property and quickly made it a home for themselves, their nine horses, their cats and their dogs. Vern loved to point out that his maternal grandfather, Douglas Pope, had been a well-known businessman in Bangor – the land and the water – was in Vern’s blood. Gisela continued their therapeutic riding practice while Vern, after a brief stint at the Damariscotta YMCA, drove a school bus for Wiscasset and Alna. He loved his job, the children and his colleagues. Gregarious and kind, he was a born storyteller, generous and friendly to all.
Vern was Gisela’s favorite volunteer in the therapeutic riding program, because his crooked smile and sense of humor could ease anyone’s fear of big horses. His love for animals was rivaled only by his passion for the ocean and he was a well-known figure in Damariscotta, sailing up and down the river with a wave and a smile.
Vern is survived by his wife, Gisela Rhodes; brother, Bruce Rhodes of Atlanta, Ga. with sons Cameron and Benjamin; sister, Linda Bravo of Peterborough, N.H. with son Rick and daughters Lerisa and Amber; and extended family including many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A celebration of Vern’s life will be held early next year.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of your choice.
Condolences, and messages for the family, may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
