Nicky Rhoads was born April 23, 1945, in Sandpoint. After his parents brought him home to Hope, Idaho, his 15-year-old sister, Elona, insisted that Nicky was not a proper name for the man he would be. His mother had the birth certificate changed to Nicholas Dale Rhoads. Nick went to heaven Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, from Waitsburg, Wash., where he spent the last three months of his earthly journey. But Weippe, where he lived over 50 years, was home.
June Davis “J.D.” Rhoads and Iris M. (Lang) Rhoads had Nick later in life. He was very much wanted in a family that had risen out of Depression-era poverty in Wyoming to ownership of a logging company in Hope. Nick graduated Sandpoint High School in 1963. He attended North Idaho Junior College in Coeur d’Alene, then went to the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education, industrial arts.
While at the university, Nick met and married Ronda Lee Dabritz. They wed on June 2, 1968, in Moscow, where they lived until Nick joined the U.S. Air Force in May 1969. Although he could have become officer, Nick chose to enlist. He figured that he would get skills he could use in “real life.” He was trained as a welder in Rantoul, Ill., then was stationed at Minot, N.D., Shemya, Alaska, and Wichita, Kan. His favorite station was his year at Shemya Air Base, out near the end of the Aleutian Islands. He was usually the only person in the welding shop and could set his own schedule. He finished up the six-month backlog of work orders plus got all the new orders complete in his first six months. He once fixed the broken blade of the snow blowing truck when everyone said it couldn’t be done. The snow removal crew was able to keep the runway clear for the rest of the winter.
After serving three years, nine months, two weeks and three days, Nick applied for teaching jobs in the civilian world. Finally, just before the start of the school year, Timberline High School, located between Weippe and Pierce, hired him to teach their metal shop program. Eight years later, as school enrollment dwindled, Nick left teaching, but did not want to leave Weippe. He partnered with Ed Berreth to form Timber Savers, Inc., a cedar products mill that made roofing and fencing.
In 1997, Nick saw the community’s need for emergency medical volunteers, and he took EMT classes. He became a basic EMT, then an advanced EMT, then an instructor. Since the pay was only as a compensated volunteer, he continued to work various jobs after selling the mill. The job he enjoyed the most was contract trail work for the U.S. Forest Service. Much of his work was in wilderness areas where he was only allowed to use non-mechanized equipment. He got pretty good with a cross-cut saw.
Nick and Ronda gave their hearts to the Lord while living in Wichita. They joined The Wesleyan Church in Weippe and served in various church ministries. Nick thoroughly enjoyed helping people in the community, whether getting in winter wood, putting on a roof or building a wall.
The couple was blessed with four children: son, Carl; twin daughters, Deborah and Ruth; then another daughter, Esther. They have in turn been given the double blessing of grandchildren, 13 in all, plus one great-grandchild. Nick also had another daughter, Nancy, born before he met Ronda.
Though physically active and taking good care of his body, Nick received treatment for and recovered from prostate cancer and colon cancer. He had two on-the-job head injuries and a broken ankle, which finally required an ankle replacement. Nick suffered a stroke in 2018 and another two years later. The strokes did not affect his physical skills as much as they caused exhaustion, dizziness, irregular heartbeats, inability to focus and more. It was this weariness of the mind, some doctors label it dysautonomia, that eventually took Nick, as his breathing ceased and heart stopped. His family is very grateful for the comfort care provided by Walla Walla Community Hospice during his last days.
Nick was preceded in death by his parents, J.D. and Iris Rhoads; his brother, Wayne Rhoads; his sister, Elona Yaryan; his daughter, Ruth Ann Stroup; and his granddaughter, Kylie Rhoads. He is survived by his son Carl Philip (Amy) Rhoads; his daughters, Deborah Ann (Greg) Crenshaw; Esther Elizabeth (John) Dunham; and Nancy Bath; and his son-in-law Dennis Stroup. His grandchildren: Kourtney, Klayton, Karson and Krysta Rhoads; Adrienne and Addison Crenshaw; Anna Rhoads; David and Andrew (Emma) Stroup; Reese and Ruby Berrey; and Elizabeth Davis. His great-grandson Lockston Stroup. His niece, Leslee Yaryan Hoover, and his nephew, Greg Yaryan.
Per his wishes, Nick’s body was cremated. Pastor Jim Head will officiate at his memorial service on Saturday, July 19, at the Weippe Wesleyan Church, 220 Main St., Weippe. The later date was chosen for better weather conditions and easier family involvement.
