Rhodes Moxley

Rhodes Joseph Moxley passed away on May 9, 2024, at the home he shared with his beloved wife, Cynthia, surrounded by his loving family. Rhodes was born on January 27, 1951, in Bethlehem, PA, to William and Rose Moxley, and was the third of four children. Rhodes spent most of his youth in Grosse Pointe, MI, and graduated from Grosse Pointe High. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in experimental psychology from Western Michigan University but a career in health information was where he found his true calling. In 1974 Rhodes began working as an analyst for the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities (CPHA) in Ann Arbor, MI, where he created reports for hospitals to assess the outcomes of their patients.

At CPHA, Rhodes met Cynthia Makimoto, his future wife. In 1979 Cynthia and Rhodes moved to Santa Barbara where Cynthia was to begin employment with Cottage Hospital. They were married on September 8, 1979, and continued to build their life together in beautiful Santa Barbara where they raised their two children, son Ryan, and daughter Erin. In 1985 Rhodes received his master’s in public administration from California State University at Northridge.

Rhodes’s earlier work in Santa Barbara included working with the Medically Indigent Adult program for the County Health Care Services and working for the Tri-Counties Professional Standards Review Organization, a part of the Medicare and MediCal program. For a period, Rhodes owned his own business, Strata Systems, during which time he developed a hospital risk management program which he sold to Systemetrics/McGraw Hill, and later became employed by them. Rhodes spent most of his career consulting in the use of health information to improve patient care. Corporations that Rhodes worked for included, HCIA, Thompson-Reuters, and IBM Watson Health.

Rhodes was loving and generous and was known for his laid-back behavior and witty sense of humor. He traveled extensively for work, but when he was home Rhodes enjoyed family gatherings, reading spy thriller novels, and running along the Cabrillo bike path and City College track. During his battle with cancer, Rhodes’s favorite thing to do was to relax in a lounge chair on the patio of his home, looking out to beautiful Santa Barbara and thinking about life with a great sense of appreciation.

Rhodes was predeceased by his sister, Pamela. Rhodes is survived by his wife Cynthia, son Ryan (Jackie Ruiz), daughter Erin, brothers Michael Moxley and David Moxley, and numerous sisters-in law, brothers-in law, nieces and nephews.

A private Celebration of Life was held on June 15, 2024, at the Montecito Covenant Church. He is dearly missed but will live forever in our hearts.