Longtime poultry industry veteran Frank Rhodes passed away on August 5, 2021, at Wake Forest Baptist Health- Wilkes Medical Center. He was surrounded by his family and friends, according to his obituary.
A Celebration of Life service was held yesterday at Scenic Memorial Gardens.
Frank was born July 25, 1934, in Wilkes County. He was preceded in death by his mother, Emma Lou Rhodes, and his wife, Bonnie Lovette Rhodes. He is survived by their daughter, Lisa Sloop and significant other William F. Absher, Ill, of Wilkesboro and two grandsons, Jordan Frank Pearson and significant other Bailey Lathem, and Dylan Rhodes Sloop and wife Risa, all of Wilkesboro.
He was a member of the Wilkesboro Baptist Church. Frank was an avid golfer and a longtime member of Oakwoods Country Club. He was a go-cart racer, motorcycle rider and a member of Junior Johnsons’s race team, and if you ever rode in a car that Frank was driving, it was an experience you will never forget. He was a Veteran of the US Army, and in his later years he was named Merchandising Man of the Year by Broiler Industry Magazine. Frank was heavily involved in the 1980’s in NCC’s National Chicken Cooking Contest along with TV star Dinah Shore. He was an only child raised by a single mother, Emma, but when he met Bonnie Lovette and married her, he was surrounded by Bonnie’s six brothers who all took Frank under their wings.
After his stint in the Army, Frank started working at Holly Farms in the Wilkesboro plant as an hourly worker. He worked his way up to supervisor, then superintendent, then Plant Manager of the Wilkesboro Plant. After learning all about the processing of poultry he moved to the sales division of Holly Farms, where he later became Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Frank also worked for Tyson Foods and ConAgra Poultry before starting his own meat brokerage firm in Wilkesboro. He was a self-taught, savvy businessman and he was, without a doubt, the world’s best at selling chicken! During his tenure at Holly Farms he played a big part in making Holly Farms a national brand of Fresh Chicken. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Holly Farms developed a revolutionary way of packaging and marketing chickens. It was called “Holly Pak” and instead of shipping chickens packed in ice, it was packaged and super cooled, and sent directly to the supermarket. Frank was one of the people who helped develop this concept. Shipping chickens is still done exactly the same way as it was done in the 60’s.
Frank never met a stranger. He never hesitated to give those down on their luck a helping hand. He was always the life of the party. He loved people, he loved life, he loved to dance, he loved a good joke, he loved good food and a stiff drink. He loved his mother, his wife, his daughter and his grandsons and his many friends. He loved all of Bonnie’s family and kept up with his many nieces and nephews.
In his retirement years. Frank loved hanging out at the 50’s restaurant, talking and laughing with his many friends and always saying “Love you, kiddo.”
The obituary concludes, “Thank you Frank for always making our lives a little brighter, showing us how to have a good time and appreciate the people around us. Thank you for passing our way.”
Online Condolences may be made at www.reinssturdivant.com.
