On Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, Kenneth Lester Rhoades, age 77, passed away at home of complications of lung cancer. Born to parents Lester and Ruth (Schuab) Rhoades, Ken was born in Benton Harbor, on April 27, 1943, Ken married Margaret in 1966; div. 1985 and married Beverly Ann (Jones) Rhoades in 1999. Ken was youngest of three children. His father owned and operated several grocery stores, his mother was a homemaker. As you might imagine, Ken spent many years working for his dad in some position at the grocery store. Although Ken spent many years in the grocery business as a young man, he had a real interest in mechanics. During high school, Ken excelled in the industrial arts programs, earning several recognitions for top performance in numerous competitions. As his interest in mechanics increased, he bought an old wooden boat with a 25hp motor that he and his dad restored. With a boat, of course he needed a car, so with some of his earnings from working in the grocery store and a keen interest and skill in mechanics, Ken purchased a 1955 Chevrolet for $450, got it in running order and low and behold, this 16 year old had a snazzy car, a cool boat and life was good. He spent many hours on the lakes in Michigan with friends, boating, skiing and just enjoying being a teenager. After high school, he attended Ferris State College in Big Rapids, becoming a certified welder. After finishing his certification, he spent some time job hunting but, with the draft in place, it was difficult to find jobs unless you had your military service completed. So, Ken enlisted in the United States Air Force and although he was a master mechanic and skilled welder, his military training was in communications and his assignment a clerk typist at Prestwick Air Force Base in Prestwick, Scotland. Spending three years in Scotland, he traveled around England and Scotland, ultimately marrying a Scottish lass. After his discharge in 1967, he and his wife returned to Michigan and Ken began his career in some form of mechanical work. The couple had two children, Shawn and Susan. After a divorce in 1985 Ken moved to Florida and began a career as a marine mechanic spending 25 years in that business earning a solid reputation as a quality marine mechanic. After his father passed away, Ken took an interest in Idaho, loaded up his tools and headed west. He went to work for a marine shop in Coeur d’Alene, in 1988, that job ended and he spent a few years working in a variety of different jobs until a want ad for a boat accessory technician caught his interest and he moved to Clarkston, WA working for Duckworth Boats. While in Spokane, Ken attained a certification as a gas fitter and worked for Guardian Heating and Air. During his tenure at Guardian he met the love of his life, Beverly and they were married in 1999. After he and Bev met, Ken had an opportunity to work for LCSC Trade and Industrial Division tool room. He loved this job because he had summers off and was able to spend days working with tools, students, and mechanical instructors. A perfect place for him. As the relationship between he and Bev continued to grow, they bought their first “fixer-upper” and sold it after many evenings after work, and weekends remodeling this old house. Friends laughed and joked about a real test of a relationship “if you can remodel a house together and still be speaking when it’s done; the relationship is off to a good start!” Over the course of 23 years since that first remodel project, Ken and Bev successfully remodeled and sold six fixer-uppers and built one new home together with very few disagreements. Taking a slight detour, the couple left Lewiston in 2000, Bev took a position at a small community college in Canton, IL. Upon Bev’s retirement they moved to Warsaw, MO for almost six years, before returning to the valley in 2015. Preparing for the move back to Idaho, we started looking at real estate, ultimately finding one last fixer-upper where Ken says to Bev “are we up to one more remodel job?” We agreed and after, hard work and challenges, our last house is now completely remodeled. At the end of a successful, stressful, challenging, rewarding partnership that turned out to be the one true love for both of us, we are both deeply saddened not to have more time together, by the same token, thrilled to have spent the last years together doing the things we both enjoyed. Ken was a Veteran, and a Mason, with a lifelong member at the Bedford Masonic Lodge in Bedford. His hobbies included mechanics, boats, motors, remodeling and gardening. He loved growing and working in a small garden and took great delight in watching his pumpkins grown. He was a home body, enjoyed spending time at home fixing and remodeling and just sitting on the porch in the evening enjoying a glass of brandy and the fire pit. Ken is survived by his wife, Beverly; his son, Shawn (Kaylin) Rhoades of Dowling; daughter, Susan (Don) in Battle Creek; stepchildren, Tami Ball of Lewiston, Cathryn Frizzi of Helena, MT and Kevin Wood (Sandy) of Baldwin City, KS; eight grandchildren—Andrew, Nathaniel, Dana and Teran of Michigan; Dom (Tosha) Foreman of Lewiston, Jesse Wood, of Helena, MT, Jeremy Wood and Joshua Wood of Baldwin City, KS and six great grandchildren – Alexys, Addyson, and Colton of Michigan, Dawsyn, Kiara, and Bo of Lewiston. He is also survived by his sister Beverly Remington, of Grand Rapids, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, most of whom live in Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lester and Ruth Rhoades, sister, Neva Weiss of Michigan The family is not planning a service. In lieu of flowers, honorariums can be given to the Michigan Masons Home. https://michiganmasons.org/foundation/donate Condolences may be left at Mountain View Funeral Home https://merchantmemorialgroup.com/book-of-memories/4363992/Rhoades-Kenneth/index.php