John Manford Rhodes Jr.

John Manford Rhodes Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away peacefully on February 14, 2026.

John was born August 27, 1943, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where his father, John Rhodes Sr., was a physician in the U.S. Army and his mother, Phyllis, was a nurse. He grew up in Pocahontas, Iowa, with his younger siblings, Sue, Dan, Mike, Kathy, and Jeannie.

In 1961, John entered the University of Iowa to pursue his medical education. While in Iowa City, he met his wife, Pamela Lamprecht; they were married on August 19, 1967. Dr. and Mrs. Rhodes then moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where John completed his internship at Kansas City General.

Following his internship, John was drafted into the U.S. Army in November 1969. He served one year in Vietnam and a second year at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. John practiced medicine alongside his father in Pocahontas, Iowa, from 1971 until 1997. In 1997, he joined Mercy Clinics in Des Moines, where he continued serving patients until his retirement in 2017.

John was an excellent family physician, admired for his expertise in dermatology and his affable bedside manner. A kind and generous man, he was a devoted father and husband and an enthusiastic solver of the daily Des Moines Register crossword puzzle. He loved fishing, pheasant hunting, playing snooker and golf, and spending time with family and friends. He was a wonderful man who will be greatly missed.

Dr. Rhodes is survived by his wife, Pamela; his sons, John III and Chris, both of Minneapolis; his daughters, Anne of Iowa City and Emily of Des Moines; and his grandchildren, Olivia, Carly, and John IV.

A visitation will be held at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory (8201 Hickman Road, Urbandale IA) on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 1:00 until 4:00 pm.

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