Delmer (Chet) Gibson Rhodes

Delmer (Chet) Gibson Rhodes, 78, was born on October 16, 1947, oldest son of Lambert and Lola Bays Rhodes. He is preceded in death by his parents, and brother Nash Rhodes.

Chet was a graduate of Lord Botetourt High School class of 1966 and held a Masters Degree in Political Science from Virginia Tech. He worked at and later owned the Record Depot music distribution company specializing in bluegrass and old-time music based in Roanoke, VA.

He loved to travel and had a great love of the Southwest. He particularly loved traveling through Vegas where he could catch his favorite shows before heading out into the country surrounding Vegas to enjoy the wild landscapes.

He is survived by loving friends Jeff and Frances Phillips, as well as an extensive community of music lovers and friends that he collected and cherished over his lifetime. Chet had a natural gift for making friends and keeping them. He knew how to make people feel welcome, he enjoyed engaging with them and sharing ideas and experiences, and he always made you feel like he was glad to see you and was looking forward to seeing you again soon. He will be greatly missed by his whole community.

Although the official record will say August 26th, Chet passed on the evening of August 25, the same day as Dolly. As a mutual friend said, Chet and Dolly are in the same orientation class in heaven. When a loved one passed, friends and heroes alike, Chet would always say “Fly high with the angels.”