July 20, 1937 —June 1, 2025
On Sunday, June 1, 2025, Dale Wayne Rhoades passed from this earthly life in Hearne, Texas. Born on July 20, 1937, in a railroad boxcar to Lee Etta (Buchanan) and Cecil James Rhoades Sr. in Llano, Texas, Wayne grew up working. From humble beginnings helping in the lunchroom at school, he grew to have a long, successful career with the railroad. Based out of the rail yard in Hearne, he shared stories of loads carried for miles and miles across Texas and the fond memories of the men he worked alongside for decades. Even in his retirement from Union Pacific, he didn’t miss a chance to gather at The Dixie Cafe in the wee hours of the morning, following the same wake up schedule he held for many years, to reminisce with familiar faces, talk local politics, the cow market and local crops over coffee and learn what hadn’t changed at the railroad.
He loved a good meal. So much so, trips were mapped out based on the best places to eat. No matter how short — a quick trip to Bryan or a daytrip back to Marble Falls — or how long — all the way to Ohio and Michigan to visit some of his closest friends — you could count on eating well along the way. And rest assured, he almost always had extra orange slices stowed away as his favorite sweet treat that he’d happily share.
He collected saddles, spurs and bits, trading with friends and strangers alike, always on the hunt for the next best pair and remarkably, could remember every mark of every maker. On saddles, he worked meticulously to clean, condition and restore them, bringing working and decorator saddles back to life. Alongside his wife of 68 years, Arlene, this was their way of making new friends and staying connected with old ones, venturing to the different estate sales and expos to find the next treasure.
While he had no affinity for dogs, he did for horses and sheep, he knew who did and in his own way, showed them that. He found himself helping find a chihuahua for his granddaughter’s ninth birthday surprise, market lambs and goats for 4-H and FFA projects, and quarter horses, which kept everyone busy. In that same way, he enjoyed the search for other things for his family, like pistols and rifles for shooting sports, collectible knives, and unexpected antiques for ‘yard art’, fireplace mantel decorations and more.
Fighting and beating cancer not once, but twice, his grit and downright stubbornness kept everyone on their toes. There was not ever a shortage of fast phrases, frank responses or strongly held opinions that only he could get away with sharing. Straight to the point, he was still a storyteller, recalling only the important ‘facts’ and willfully keeping others from going on too long, much to everyone’s appreciation (most of the time). In almost every phone call, when asked “How are you?” over the phone, his staple answer was almost always “oh, I’m just as sweet as ever,” often followed by a mischievous laugh and a comment about the weather, especially if we’d had a lot of rain or if we were in need of it. And if there was something not quite going your way, he’d remind you without skipping a beat that “it’ll all come out in the wash.”
His pride and joy though rested in his son, granddaughter and great-grandchildren, and any passerby that was going to do business with him was going to learn a bit about them all. This is one time he was not short on words or time, and thanks to Arlene, not short on pictures to show them either. If he could find a way — and he always could — he wove in something about them and their accomplishments.
Using his most famous phrase, he was “as sweet as ever.”
He is survived by his wife, Arlene (Bruns) Rhoades; his brothers Cecil and Sam Rhoades; his son, Fritze Rhoades, and his wife, Fonda; his granddaughter, Kala Mc-Cain, and her husband, Kyle, bonus granddaughter Brittainy Smith and her husband Justin, bonus grandson Kyle Reser; and two great-grandchildren, Kannon and Finley McCain and bonus great-grandchildren Cooper and Bristol Smith. He is preceded in death by his mother, father and his sister, Barbara Jane Rhoades; and father-in-law and mother-inlaw, Frederick and Sarah Bernice (Gibson) Bruns.
Graveside Service will be Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 10:00 am at the Marble Falls City Cemetery. Condolences may be made at: www.clementswilcoxfuneralhome. com
