Danny Thomas Rhodes Jr.

Trying to sum up the life of Danny Rhodes, Jr. in a few paragraphs is like trying to corral a wild horse - near impossible and a little foolish. Danny left this world on November 30, 2025, and if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that he didn’t go down without a fight. That man was stubborn enough to argue with a brick wall and win.

Danny was born in Charlotte, NC, right beside his twin sister Donna, and he spent his childhood kickin’ up dust on a New Mexico ranch. That’s where Cowboy Danny was born - hat, boots, attitude and all - following straight behind his daddy, Danny Sr.

After years in the saddle started catchin’ up with him, he traded horses for the high seas and became a Merchant Marine. Months at sea suited him just fine, especially since it meant he got to do one of his favorite things: cook. If you ever had his étouffée, you know it was good enough to bring a grown man to tears. During his Merchant Marine years, Danny married his first wife in Mississippi, and they welcomed two daughters, Erika and Danielle. Life carried them all in different directions over the years, but they remain an important part of Danny’s story.

When the ocean finally spit him back onto land, Danny climbed straight into the cab of a semi and hit the road, eventually launching his own trucking company, Rhodes West Express, with his beloved late wife, Christine. Now those two, their love story was something straight of a movie. They spent their days side-by-side with French bulldogs riding shotgun, Harley Davidsons rumbling underneath them, and laughter trailing behind wherever they went. If they weren’t cruisin’ the Blue Ridge with a pack of bikers, they were eating at every fish camp in the Carolinas or hauling toys for Toys for Tots. They were the kind of couple folks talk about with a smile even years later.

Danny loved deep-sea fishing, especially trips spent side-by-side with his brother, Scott. He could turn a day on the water into a story you’d hear for years. He also treasured two people he considered his own children; his nephew Christopher and niece Elizabeth, who held a special place in his heart.And speaking of stories, Danny had enough of them to fill a bookshelf. No one ever forgot meeting him. His voice carried two counties over, and his opinions carried even further. If you wound up on his bad side, well… good luck. But if he loved you, it was for life. He’d give you the shirt off his back, the keys to his truck, and a plate of something spicy that might burn your tastebuds off.

Let us also pay proper respect to the dance moves. If you never saw Danny drop into a full split on the dance floor and pop back up like the laws of physics didn’t apply to him, well, you missed a miracle.

Danny checked on people just because. He gave jobs when no one else would. He could make you laugh across a crowded room with one look. He was larger than life, louder than necessary, and loved harder than most people know how.

And while it’s impossible to fit a man like Danny into an obituary, we know this: the good Lord called him home because Heaven clearly needed someone who could cook a proper étouffée, fix anything with wheels, and tell the angels to toughen up a little.

But for the record, Danny wouldn’t want tears. He’d tell us to celebrate, share stories, and crack open a cold one in his name. So, here’s to the big man, the one, the only. And in true Danny fashion: “Breaker one-nine, Breaker one-nine, til’ we meet again; ya’ll keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down, I’m takin’ it to the barn. I’ll catch y’all on the flip flop. Ole 2 stick here signing off, over and out!”

Danny is preceded in death by his late mother, Phyllis Baker Rhodes and his father, Danny Rhodes, Sr.  He is survived by his children, Danielle and Erica; sister, Donna Rahn Rhodes; brother, Scott Rhodes; nephew, Christopher Rahn; niece,  Elizabeth Coburn; and five great nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Gaston Memorial Park, Gastonia NC with Reverend Alan Lindsay officiating.