William Rhodes, Baptist Layman and Legal Advocate, Dies at 98

William Spencer “Bill” Rhodes, age 98, passed away July 14, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born June 30, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Thomas Melvin Rhodes and Mattie Lee Thrasher Rhodes.

Bill graduated from Atlanta Boys’ High School in 1944, Emory University Law School in 1950, and Georgia State University in 1954. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War and was a member of the U.S.S. Frank Knox DDR 742 Reunion Association.

As an attorney from 1950 until 2016, Bill believed success was measured by how many people he could help rather than how much money he might make. He volunteered legal services to more than one hundred churches, over 100 ministers, over 100 missionaries, and many others.

Over the course of more than 60 years, beginning in the 1950s, Bill held Baptist Laymen positions with several churches and organizations, including Capital View Baptist Church, Briarlake Baptist Church, Briarcliff Baptist Church, Atlanta Baptist Association, Georgia Baptist Convention, Atlanta Baptist College/Mercer University, Southern Baptist Convention, Norman Junior College, Baptist World Alliance, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia.

He also served on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including Books for the World, Yazoo City, MS, Macedonian Call Foundation, Boys’ High Alumni Association, and King’s Bridge Retirement Center.

Bill loved to travel and visited all 159 counties in Georgia, all 50 states, several territories, and more than 60 foreign countries.

Bill was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Fay Ball Rhodes, who died in 2004. He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Anne Rhodes Dishner and Mary Virginia Rhodes Gormley, and his brothers, Travis Melvin Rhodes and Frank Gerald Rhodes.

He is survived by his brother, C.J. (Charlie) Rhodes; children William Clinton “Clint” Rhodes, Ivy Rhodes Darnall (Klaus), Kathy Rhodes Davis (Bob), and Rebecca “Becca” Rhodes Hayes (Ashton); his grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held Friday, July 19, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m. at 1st Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairmont Rd, Decatur, Ga 30030, or Kingsbridge Retirement Community, 3055 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329.

Source: Read the original report