Joseph Rhoads, Jr., 89, of Middletown, Delaware died on April 6, 2025, while in hospice care at Christiana Hospital.
Joe was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from Earlham College in 1957 and served as an Army Medic from 1958-1960 at the Valley Forge Army Hospital. In 1963, Joe received a Master’s degree in Library Science from Rutgers University in NJ. He was employed by the Free Library of Philadelphia and retired from Binghamton University where he worked in the library for 32 years.
He married Mary-Elizabeth Hawke in August 1963, and they lived in Vestal, NY until 2002 when they moved to Delaware to be closer to family. Joe was a member of First Baptist of Endicott, NY before transferring his membership to Calvary Baptist Church of Newark. At both churches, he served as an usher and a member of the Diaconate. Joe enjoyed his books, his many periodical subscriptions, summer vacations at Bethany Beach, and most of all appreciated his family and friends.
He is survived by his wife Mary-Elizabeth Rhoads, his daughter and son-in-law, Ann and Joe Terranova; granddaughter and her husband, Kathryn and Luke Couden; grandson, Brian Terranova; great-grandson, Joseph Michael Couden, in addition to many cousins and extended family.
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