Eugene Allen Rhodes, the chief performance office at the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA), passed away Saturday, Jan. 19.
In a statement, Greater Dayton RTA says it mourns the loss of a colleague and friend and notes Rhodes impact on the many RTA employees during his more than eight years of service.
“If you ask RTA employees to describe Gene in a word, you would hear: intuitive, coach, mentor, caring, funny, interested, and friend,” said RTA CEO Mark Donaghy.
The Greater Dayton RTA called Rhodes the driving force behind many programs designed to improve the agency including: employee wellness, Be the One outstanding work awards, succession planning, Leadership 2020, discipline without punishment and the agency’s veteran recognition programs. In November 2018, the RTA dedicated the Eugene A. Rhodes Veterans Memorial outside of its Longworth Campus. The memorial was named in his honor due to his strong support for veterans and programs supporting their service.
It will not only be his incredible work ethic, but also his stinging wit that will be remembered by his coworkers, Donaghy said.
“Gene could bring the most serious of meetings to an abrupt halt with a fragment of a sentence, introduced at the perfect moment -- leaving someone in the room red-faced and the rest of us stunned or caught in an incredible belly laugh,” he said.
Funeral services were held Jan. 25. The Rhodes family has suggested that memorial contributions be made to The Memorial Oncology Patient Fund, care of Kettering Medical Center Foundation, 3535 Southern Blvd in Dayton, Ohio,45429; or Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Ave, Dayton, Ohio 45420.
