OREGON – Mervin R. “Dusty” Rhoads, 94, of Oregon, passed away Thursday morning, Dec. 27, 2012, at Pinecrest Manor in Mount Morris. 

He was born May 22, 1918, in Rudd, Iowa, the son of John A. and Lola (Whitaker) Rhoads. He graduated from Oregon High School, where he was active in football and basketball. Dusty was the last surviving member of the 1936 high school basketball conference championship team. He attended Cornell College, where he also was active in sports. He married Janet Lou Smith on Sept. 27, 1941, in Mankato, Minn. She died in 1999. Mervin served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

He managed lumberyards in Luana, Iowa, Primghar, Iowa, and Glencoe, Minn., before returning to Oregon in 1952. Mervin and Charles Mongan formed Ogle Lumber Co., which he managed until the business was sold to J.H Patterson Co. in the late 1970s.  He belonged to the Oregon Lions Club and was a 60-year Mason. He also served on the Oregon Planning Commission and was a founding member of St. Bride Episcopal Church. He enjoyed fishing in Minnesota, golf, yard work, and his cats. Mervin and his family appreciated the care he received from the staff at Pinecrest during the last 4 years.