Kevin Lee Rhodes, D.O. (Feb 23, 1973 - Jun 18, 2018)

Dr. Kevin Lee Rhodes, a modern-day Renaissance man gifted in the sciences and the arts, died Monday at his home in Kirksville, Mo. He was 45.

Dr. Rhodes devoted his life to others. Through his profession as a doctor with the Northeast Regional Medical Group in Kirksville, as well as in the musical, artistic and theatrical talents shared generously with family, friends and the community, Dr. Rhodes celebrated life on every plane.

A devotee of all things Star Wars, Dr. Rhodes found great joy in traveling with friends to conventions and festivals that celebrated the franchise. The storylines and characters had captivated him since he was a young boy and started a collection of figurines with his brother Steve Rhodes.

“Most of our yard-mowing money went to Star Wars stuff,” Steve said. “And anything Star Wars related was always on the top of our Christmas and birthday lists. It was our mom Debby who got us into this — she planted the seed of imagination and wonder, and let us know it was OK to be a kid and believe in what we couldn’t see.”

And while one brother outgrew the fascination with the figurines, the other — well — didn’t. And that was part of the childlike surprise that made Dr. Rhodes the fun-loving man he was.

Though Star Wars may have influenced Dr. Rhodes’ love for make-believe and imagination, his family and friends gave him the supporting cast and audience he needed to bring those passions to life. The two Rhodes brothers entertained at family gatherings as characters Hans and Franz, popularized on Saturday Night Live, always willing to “Pump… you up!”

All the Rhodes men donned Elvis costumes — complete with sequined jumpsuits and bedazzled capes — to celebrate Kevin’s 30th birthday. On that night, the Elvis impersonators ranged in age from 10-years-old to Grandpa Don Rhodes’ then-77-years-young and the squad was the talk of St. Louis on that memorable night.

And no Engle family Christmas was complete without the appearance of Dr. Rhodes as Santa Claus. Dr. Rhodes’ grandma, Lillian Engle, remembered the ease with which her grandson brought fun to life.

“Kevin always had an ability to cheer people, and he was never afraid of the spotlight. Any place where he could be silly and make others laugh was a place Kevin easily called home,” his grandma said.

Dr. Rhodes’ passion for the arts included his musical gifts that he shared with the praise band at his church, Countryside Christian, in Kirksville where he re-energized his faith, reconnected with Christ, and was baptized. He shared his journey with his sister, Kristi Rhodes.

“I deeply valued the conversations we were able to share as he began opening up about his faith life,” Kristi said. “He was open in ways that I’d never seen before and I’ll always treasure those conversations.”

Visitors to his home could catch a front-row concert offered by Dr. Rhodes and friends, who would jam out in his basement at all hours of the day and night, or listen to one of the thousands of CDs he had in his collection. From Johnny Cash to Metallica, Dr. Rhodes’ musical tastes were as unique and varied as he was.

A talented artist, Dr. Rhodes’ sketches and drawings graced notes and cards he shared with family and friends. Those sketches fueled his passion for comic books, which became another fun collection he enjoyed building in part via an Amazon account that likely and lovingly boasted more deliveries than the rest of the family combined.

All of those gifts helped to inform Dr. Rhodes’ medical practice, as an internal medicine physician at Northeast Regional Medical Group in Kirksville where he had worked largely with elderly patients for nearly the past decade.

Dr. Matthew Hardee, one of Dr. Rhodes’ partners, said Kevin was known for spending a lot of time with his patients, really listening to all they had going on in their lives and with their health.

“He was very patient,” Dr. Hardee said. “He saw people in the nursing home, in the hospital — Kevin had a very disarming personality and he talked to people on their level. He was great at explaining things to people in a way that was easy and simple, which was very good for his older patients.”

In addition to his practice, Dr. Rhodes taught at the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine where he was an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and also taught resident physicians, Dr. Hardee said.

Dr. Rhodes earned a Fellowship with the American College of Osteopathic Internists in 2010 and was board certified with the American College of Osteopathic Internists in 2003 and trained in Diagnostic Endoscopy and Wound Clinic Procedures.

“Kevin was a true Christmas present,” Dr. Hardee said. “He was an oddly-wrapped present, but exactly what you wanted when you got to the inside.”

Medical school for Dr. Rhodes came at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences where he graduated in 2000. He was a 1995 graduate of Northwest Missouri State where he earned a bachelor’s of science in pre-professional zoology.

Wherever Kevin went, and whomever he went with, there was never a lack of fun in his life. Kevin’s life philosophy is perhaps best summed up with a quote from one of his heroes, Star Wars creator George Lucas.

“Be mindful of the future, but not at the expense of the moment,” Lucas said.

Kevin’s death was a surprise to all of us. The news made us draw in a sharp breath, say out loud, “He was too young,” and maybe wonder just a little about the hows and whys of these sorts of things.

But while it’s true that Kevin was too young, it’s equally true that Kevin lived life — really lived it. He embraced each day with zest and zeal and an imperative to make a difference, often by creating fun.

So maybe that’s our take away. Maybe the next time that we have a chance to be silly, or create happiness, instead of pulling back let’s jump in. Let’s roll the windows down, turn the radio all the way up, and savor every moment.

Let’s live the Kevin way.

Let’s really live life.

Remembering Kevin today are his parents Mike and Debby Rhodes, Center, Mo., brother Steve Rhodes and his wife Lisa Renze-Rhodes, Fishers, Ind., sister Kristi Rhodes, Louisville, Ky., grandmother Lillian Engle, Hannibal, Mo., uncle Pat Rhodes and his wife Terry, St. Louis; aunt Colleen Jones, and her husband Rick, Center, Mo., cousin Bryan Jones and his wife Christina, St. Louis and cousin Nathan Jones, Center, Mo. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Lloyd Engle, and Don and Doris Rhodes.

Services will be held at Countryside Christian Church, 6 p.m., Thursday, June 21, 2018, 7882/23153 State Highway H, Troy Mills, Mo. Visitation will be held two hours prior, from 4 to 6 p.m. also at the church. Additional services will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 2018, at O’Donnell’s Funeral Home, 302 S. 5th Street, Hannibal, Mo. Visitation Saturday will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., also at O’Donnell’s. Burial will be at the Center Cemetery, Route H, Center, Mo. Friends and family are invited to a reception following the burial, at the Lodge at Lake Hannibal.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to National MS Society or American Diabetes Association. Contributions may be left at or mailed to Travis-Noe Funeral Home, P.O. Box 306, Kirksville, MO 63501.