Jan. 24, 1976 - April 21, 2017
Scott Morgan Rhodes surfer, photographer, SCUBA diver passed into eternity on Friday, April 21, 2017 at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento after a long battle with medullary thyroid cancer. Born in 1976 in Boulder, Colorado, he was 41. He was raised in Carson City, Nevada and graduated from Carson City High School. He swam competitively from age 10 through high school. He received AA and AS degrees from Santa Rosa Junior College, where he competed on the water polo team, and then received a Bachelor’s Degree in film studies from UC Santa Barbara.
After college he lived and worked in Santa Cruz, Kauai, and Portland, OR, where he attended the Portland Art Institute, and worked on film projects. Scott’s photography captured the beauty and essence of landscapes and nature. Each image told a wonderful story and drew the viewer into the moment when the photo was taken.
Scott, as his Welsh middle name Morgan signifies, was a lover of the sea and a passionate advocate for the protection of it and the creatures that call it home. All those he met were attracted by his sense of humor, warm demeanor, and gentle, humble,and adventurous soul.
Scott’s diving career started at age 11 when he and his father dove into the clear waters off the Great Barrier Reef. He dove in Lake Tahoe, up and down the coast of California and amid the reefs and deep wrecks off the Florida Keys. He surfed beaches from Oregon to Baja California, but his favorites were on the North Shore of Kauai, HI. Framed by beautiful verdant waterfall-laden mountains, Hanalei Bay is where he requested that his ashes be spread.
Scott is survived by his mother, Pam Rhodes (Michael Wright) of Davis, CA; his father Don Rhodes (Maria Rhodes) of Tavernier, FL; his brother Sean Rhodes (Carol Rhodes), his nephew Thomas Rhodes and nieces Shannon and Rebecca Rhodes of Lake Forest Park, WA; his grandmother, Patricia Kleps Hok; his girlfriend, Brook Fullwiler; and other loving family and numerous friends.
Scott adored his nephew and nieces and some of his proudest moments were giving them surfing and skateboarding lessons. He left an indelible impression on all he met. He will be fondly remembered and surely looks down with kindness on those honoring his brief but passionate life.
The family requests that donations be made to Scott’s favorite charities: Athletes for Cancer, the Surfrider Foundation, or the ASPCA.