Western Pennsylvania Dek Hockey Player and Cancer Advocate Corey Rhodes Passes Away, Leaving a Community Heartbroken

The hockey rinks and cancer treatment centers of western Pennsylvania are a little quieter today. Corey Rhodes, the beloved founder of the Rhodes Cancer Foundation and a fixture in the local dek hockey community, has passed away after a battle with rare liver cancer.

Friends, family, and teammates flooded social media with tributes almost immediately, painting the portrait of a man who gave everything he had to the people around him and asked for nothing in return.

“Today the world lost a great person,” wrote Joe Penrod, a former hockey teammate who first met Corey on opposing sides of the rink before they went on to win a championship together. “He would have given you the shirt off his back if you needed it and never asked for anything in return. That’s just the kind of person he was.”

From the Ice to the Fight Against Cancer

Corey Rhodes was known across the dek hockey world as a competitor with a smile always on his face. Doc Michael, another longtime player, remembered the goals Corey scored against him over the years, but said the postgame conversations and laughs meant far more than any scoreline.

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Brian Gerhard drove an hour and a half just to umpire a fundraiser after a single phone call from Corey. He arrived expecting to give back to a good cause and left feeling like he had met a rock star.

“I was trying to give back,” Brian wrote, “and I was given the privilege of meeting a man that knew nothing but gratitude.”

That spirit of gratitude and generosity extended well beyond the rink. Corey channeled his own cancer diagnosis into something much larger than himself, building the Rhodes Cancer Foundation from the ground up.

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The foundation became his life’s work, directing contributions toward food trucks stationed outside local treatment centers to provide meals for patients, funding research donations, and organizing a range of charitable activities aimed at easing the burden on those fighting the same disease he faced every single day.

A Legacy Built One Life at a Time

Alex DeFrank, a friend who had also walked through a rare liver cancer battle, described the loss with raw honesty.

“Pap asked about you last week because he hadn’t seen you around Arnold Palmer in some time,” he wrote. “I never thought an opponent and stranger on the dek would become a friend met through rare liver cancer battles those few years back. This feels really unfair.”

The Rhodes Cancer Foundation itself broke the news in a post that acknowledged the weight of the moment with quiet grace.

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“This is the post we hoped and prayed we would never have to write,” the foundation shared. “Corey was a light, a bright, beautiful light that could never be dimmed. He brought joy, comfort, laughter, and strength to everyone around him, even during some of his own hardest times.”

His cousin Melanie Halsted said simply that Corey made a tremendous impact on many lives and built an enduring legacy, which may be the truest summary of all.

Those who wish to honor Corey Rhodes can follow, share, and contribute to the Rhodes Cancer Foundation, the living proof that one person really can change things for the better.