Wilmer “Bill” J. Rhodes, age 90, of Solon Springs, WI, passed away on Saturday, October 10, 2020, at Superior Rehabilitation Nursing Home in Superior, WI.

Bill was born to Arthur and Emma (Schubert) Rhodes on July 14, 1930, in Gull Lake, WI.  When his father was working at the shipyards in Superior, the family moved to Solon Springs where Bill attended and graduated from Solon Springs High School.  He served in the US Army and was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he attended paratroopers training.  He was a mechanic and worked in that profession for several years in the Solon Springs area and continued when he moved to the Chicago area.  In Chicago he worked at a Ford dealership and Breuer Tire Company.  When Bill retired, he returned to Solon Springs, bought a house, and settled in.  He took great pride in this home.  He loved to pick blueberries and baked his own pies.  He spent many hours putting jigsaw puzzles together and displayed them as wall art because most of them were copies of beautiful Terry Redlin paintings.  Bill liked to walk and after he met the “love of his life”, the two of them were inseparable on these walks.  His love was a little stray dog that he adopted and named Rascal.

Bill was preceded in death by; his parents, brothers, Bernard and Eddie, and sisters, Thelma Pangburn and Rosie Erickson.

He is survived by; brothers Gene (Pauline) of Rice Lake, WI, and Ken (Kathy) of Hibbing, MN, sister, Dorothy (“Bud”) Rydberg of Shell Lake, WI, as well as, many nieces and nephews from WI, MN, WA, TX, and CA.

Interment will be at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Friday, October 23, 2020, at 1:00 p.m.

Last Update: Oct 19, 2020 6:04 am CDT