Corey Rhodes was selfless, even after years of undergoing cancer treatment.
The Southmoreland graduate, an East Huntingdon resident, created the Rhodes Cancer Foundation in 2024 to provide free meals for other patients undergoing cancer treatment. The nonprofit has provided 1,500 free meals, donated about $50,000 to UPMC Liver Cancer Research Center and awarded $5,000 in scholarships.
“It gives me a sense of hope to continue to try to help others,” Rhodes told TribLive in 2025. “Maybe they won’t get sick the way I have.”
Rhodes, 33, died Monday.
‘It gave him purpose’
Rhodes was diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocelluar carcinoma, a rare type of liver cancer that is known to affect younger people, in 2021.
Rhodes had undergone surgery, a clinical trial, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He took part in a clinical trial in New York City.
But he never let that stop him from being who he was, said his cousin Aleece Brown.
“Corey was Corey,” Brown said. “I know everybody would describe him a little bit different, but it always would be positive. Everybody wanted Corey on their side.”
While undergoing years of cancer treatment, Rhodes discovered there were not many options for comforting food at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Unity. So, he decided to change that.
He had the idea to host a golf outing to raise money for food trucks at the cancer center. The inaugural golf outing raised about $40,000. Rhodes began coordinating the trucks, bringing patients menus, getting their orders and then bringing them fresh-cooked meals.
“Corey created the foundation to keep himself going,” Brown said. “It gave him purpose.”
Haley Boot, a medical assistant at the cancer center, said the patients were always grateful to have a meal.
“Patients were just in awe that someone would do this for them,” Boot said.
Boot also knew Rhodes on a personal level.
The two had connected through Facebook because Boot was a young survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma. It was inspiring to see Rhodes receive cancer treatment and hand out meals in the same day, Boot said, because she knew how much the medicine depletes people’s bodies between aches, nausea and loss of appetite.
He would always focus on others’ needs more than his own, Boot said. Whenever she texted him to check in he would always reply with, “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”
“He just touched the community in such a way,” Boot said.
A community man
Although the foundation was his “main hobby,” Brown said, Rhodes always made time for sports and his family.
Beyond the typical Western Pennsylvanian’s love for Pittsburgh sports, Rhodes also loved local athletics in Westmoreland County.
He would umpire and coach local baseball teams and he worked the “chain gang” — moving the yardage markers — on the sidelines for Southmoreland High School football home games.
On Fridays in the spring, parishioners of Partner Parish of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Scottdale could always find Rhodes helping out with the fish fry.
“He would save up all of his energy, so he could go,” Brown said.
When he was not working with the foundation or at church, Rhodes was working part time as an accountant. He went to Westmoreland County Community College, where he earned an associate degree in accounting. Rhodes later obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting from PennWest California University.
Foundation future
Rhodes’ family plans to carry on his legacy through the foundation.
There are food trucks scheduled to visit the cancer center through October, the Southmoreland Interact Club is hosting a bingo fundraiser June 4 at East Huntingdon Volunteer Fire Company, the third annual golf outing is July 18 at Glengarry Golf Links and a softball tournament will be the weekend of Sept. 26 at Hempfield Park.
“He had plans, and we’re going to see them all through,” Brown said.
Family and friends will be received from 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Frank Kapr Funeral Home Inc., 417 Pittsburgh St., Scottdale. Prayers of Transfer will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home, with his funeral Mass to follow at 11 a.m. in Partner Parish of St. John the Baptist R.C. Church.
The family is inviting people who knew Rhodes to a luncheon after the funeral at East Huntingdon Volunteer Fire Company.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Rhodes’ memory can be made to the Rhodes Cancer Foundation, 366 Wesley Chapel Road, Scottdale, PA 15683, or on Venmo at rhodesco.