Stephen Mark Rhodes

Our beloved husband, father, son and friend, Stephen Mark Rhodes, 53, graduated this life on January 26, 2024. Steve was born in Corvallis, Oregon, on May 4, 1970, to Charles and Barbara Rhodes. He loved his early childhood years that were spent with his brothers and sisters in Albany, Oregon where he was taught to work hard pray and love God. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where he would reside the rest of his life. He attended Ruth Fyfe Elementary School, Gibson Middle School, was a Warrior at Western High School, and graduated in 1988.

Steve honorably served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Chile Vina Del Mar mission where he learned to fluently speak Spanish, a skill he would use the rest of his life. Elder Rhodes touched the lives of numerous people and loved all his companions. He developed a deep love for the Chilean people and their culture. His mission was one of the highlights of his life and he often referred to experiences he encountered that changed his life for the better.

Upon returning from his mission, he enrolled at Community College Of Southern Nevada where he earned his associates to become a Physical Therapist Assistant. Before his mission, he worked as a tech in the physical therapy field and he wanted to continue to have a career in the industry. After graduation, he worked for a few different clinics around the Las Vegas area, but spent the bulk of his years at Tom Brooks Physical Therapy and Kelly Hawkins Physical Therapy. His patients loved him and it seemed like he could not go anywhere in town without running into a former patient who would hug him and want to catch up like long lost friends.

In September of 1999, Steve met Amy O’Roarke at a young single adult activity in the Willow Springs ward. They started dating and Steve joked that they needed to be Y2K compliant, so after a short courtship and engagement, they were married in the Las Vegas, Nevada LDS temple, on January 22, 2000. They spent the first years of their marriage traveling and enjoyed many vacations, including trips to Paris, London, Germany, and Amsterdam. They loved going to the beach and would take any opportunity they could foe quick weekend trips to California to enjoy the sun and water. After 5 years of marriage their son Thomas was born, followed three years later by Clara.

Steve’s greatest accomplishment was his family. He loved his wife and children so much and spent every moment he could with them and did everything he could to bring them joy. He always wanted to do family activities on the weekends and would look for opportunities where the whole family could have fun. He also loved spending time with relatives and would take every chance he could to visit with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Steve had countless friends and he valued every single one of them. He kept in contact with childhood friends, mission companions and friends he collected along the years. It didn’t matter if they were young or old, male or female, he was friends with everyone and made everyone feel loved and special.

In February of 2021, after about a year of having digestive issues, Steve was diagnosed with inoperable Pancreatic Cancer. Over the next 3 years he would endure countless doctor’s appointments, rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, however he never let it get him down. He continued to work full time, many days while wearing his chemo pump under his shirt. He also researched everything he could to make sure he tried every option possible in both western and natural medicine to fight the cancer. He left no stone unturned and people often remarked how they would never believe he had cancer if they did not know. He did not let it affect his life and was determined to live the best life he could until the very end. At the end of November of 2023 the cancer became more aggressive and FDA approved treatments were no longer an option.

Steve was proceeded in death by his father, Charles E. Rhodes, and his brother Charles L. Rhodes. He is survived by the love of his life, Amy, and his two children Thomas and Clara. He is also survived by his mother, Barbara Rhodes, his brother Ken (Kristy), and his sisters Leah and Amy (Dan) and mother-in-law, Shirley and her husband Larry Call.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 11:30 am, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Elkhorn Springs Stake Center 7500 N. Tule Springs Road Las Vegas, NV 89131.

A visitation will be held from 9:30am-11:00 am prior to the funeral services.