Obituaries

Oscar Rhodes, Yountville Sun Publisher, Dies at 62

Memorial service will be noon April 13 at Lincoln Theater in Yountville.

Adapted from the Yountville Sun

Oscar Rhodes, a founder and publisher of the weekly Yountville Sun newspaper and founder of Rhodes Ranch Winery, died March 21 after a brief illness, according to an obituary in his own newspaper.

He was 62.

Find out what's happening in Napa Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Born in California's San Joaquin Valley in 1950, Rhodes was the third son born to Oscar and Thelma "Juanita" (Peeples) Rhodes.

He grew up in Manteca, Calif., graduating from Manteca High School in 1960, where he was the captain of the football team and class president.

Find out what's happening in Napa Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rhodes attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., and Stanford University.

He was employed in San Francisco by Motion Industries as a sales representative for industrial conveyor systems.

He married Christy Towner in 1979 and they had two sons. They lived in Menlo Park and Manteca. He started and operated a real estate advertising newspaper in the San Joaquin Valley for a short time.

In 1996, he married Sharon Stensaas and they lived in Syracuse, N.Y. Rhodes operated a restaurant and tavern in the historic Lincklaen House in Cazenovia, N.Y.

Rhodes and his wife moved to Yountville in 1998 and started the Yountville Sun. With his son, he also founded Rhodes Ranch Winery.

He also was a catering host contrator and at one point operated the cafe at the old Chimney Rock Golf Course.

For many years, Rhodes served on the Board of Directors of Hands Across the Valley, a nonprofit that raises money to support emergency food programs in the Napa Valley.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon Stensaas; sons Oscar Rhodes III of Long Beach, Calif., and Matthe "Towner" Rohodes of Yountville; stepdaughter Sarena Stensaas of Loveland, Calif., and his sister-in-law Lillie Rhodes of Manteca.

He is also survived by an uncle and an aunt, three nephews, two nieces, three step-grandchildren and many cousins.

A memorial service will be at noon on April 13 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville. In keeping Rhodes' "style," attendees are invited to wear tasteful Bermuda shorts and flip flops if weather permits.

The family suggests memorial donations be made to: Hands Across the Valley, P.O. Box 5404, Napa, CA 94581, or to the Napa Valley Center for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Theater, P.O. Box 2675, Yountville, CA 94599.

Napa Patch is now Napa Valley Patch! Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views with the valley.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here