"We were known as the ROMEO's, retired old men eating out, and he was always very cheerful, very upbeat, and he never complained. Jarvis faced life with a great deal of courage," Shofner said.

"My father is one of the dying breed of truly old-fashioned gentlemen," said Ammons' daughter Rose Stanaland. "He was just so respectful to everyone, he was very careful never to say anything off-colored in front of a lady. He was the kind of man who would open a door for the lady, treat a lady with respect and he was just a very old-fashioned gentleman."

Son, Mark Ammons, said his father was one of the most honest people there ever was.

"He was somebody who, it didn't matter to him if it was the president or the school janitor, treated everyone just the same," Mark Ammons said. "He was a good, Christian father, he loved us, and you couldn't ask for more."

Stanaland remembers her father as one who loved his Aggie football, and she loved watching it with him.

"He was an avid Aggie, he was maroon to the core, and we enjoyed watching the Texas A&M football games every season," she said.

After graduating from Texas A&M University in 1949, he served two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II on ships in the Pacific theater.

Ammons was a Paul Harris Fellows recipient, a Rotarian award, he was a member and past-president of the Nacogdoches Booster's Club and was a city manager from 1976 to 1989 when he retired, Stanaland said.

While city manager, he served on the board of the Texas City Managers Association and was a past president of the East Texas City Manager's Association.

In 1988, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce, as well.

Before being a city manager, he worked at Entex for 20 years and was a Nacogdoches ISD business manager for seven years.

Nacogdoches City Mayor Roger Van Horn said Jarvis Ammons taught him a great deal.

"He was my friend for years and he was always kind, he was always interested in my welfare around town as I was active in the community," Van Horn said. "He would always give me good advice and it was never about him; it was always about the people around him or the city and what was good for it.

"I have a high regard for Jarvis Ammons. He was a very good friend and did a lot for our community, Van Horn said. "He set a standard for us, too, that was good for the younger guys to watch and to see. I will miss him."

Being involved in the community was a passion of Ammons and one he passed down to his children.

"The one thing that my dad taught me was that it was important to be involved in the community, but the more important thing was whether he was an officer in the chamber or Rotary, you always remembered who you were and you were kind and honest with everybody. And he really was that way," Mark Ammons said.

Graveside services will be at the Martinsville Cemetery at 10 a.m. today with the Rev. Allen Reed officiating.

The tanker ended up upside down on the side of the westbound lane with the top of the cab ripped off, DPS Trooper Jerrald Moore said.

Ayala was taken to Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital with lacerations and was reported in good condition Wednesday.

Those who knew and loved Rhodes say there aren't enough words to describe what a wonderful man he was.

"You couldn't find a better person, that's for sure," said John Fergerson, a member of Rhodes' church. "He was really relaxed and easy going. He always had the right words to say anytime there was a crisis. He had the right encouragement and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. It will be hard to replace him, he has touched so many hearts and so many lives in our church."

Rhodes grew up in Missouri, got his bachelor's degree at Westminster Bible Institute in Texas, his master's in theology from the California Graduate School of Theology and a Doctorate in Divinity from the Western Evangelical Seminary in Oregan.

He started preaching in Bedford, Texas in 1974 and made his way to Nacogdoches County and bought a sawmill in Alto in 1986.

"He came from a family of sawmills and all his brothers owned sawmills," his son-in-law Michael Davis said. "He felt like he should work and so that's what he did."

For the past 20 years, Rhodes has been pastor at McKnight Congregational Methodist Church in Cushing.

Just last week, the church presented Rhodes and his wife Jan with a trip to Israel for Pastor Appreciation Month, and in honor of their 20 years with the church.

Davis, who has many fond memories of his father-in-law, said he had to try three times to ask Rhodes' permission to marry his daughter, April.

The first time, Rhodes pretended not to know what was going on and the second involved guns.

"I didn't know he had guns, but I got there and he had a couple of guns out that he was cleaning there on the dining room table. I didn't think it was a good idea to ask just then," Davis said with a laugh.

Davis ended up writing a resumé of sorts on a notepad and setting it down in front of Rhodes to read.

"It was basically a proposal to be a son-in-law and that way I didn't have to verbally ask it," Davis said. "He grabbed it and looked at it and eventually gave his blessing and told me how happy he was. He was a great father-in-law, you couldn't ask for a better man and he taught me a lot."

Christina Carpenter, a 15-year-old Cushing High School sophomore, and one of the youth members at the church, said Rhodes baptized her and her sisters and helped her through some rough patches in her life.

"He was always smiling and you could go to him about any of your problems. You could talk to him about anything," she said.

Many people in the community knew and loved Rhodes, she said.

Others may never have met the man, but will remember seeing a huge, Paul Bunyan-sized chair sitting out in a field on Hwy. 204. Many people have stopped to take a picture or two in the chair over the years.

"He loved his wife and she mentioned at one point that she wanted a huge chair," Davis said. "He just kind of stored stuff in his memory like that and about two years later he had this huge chair made for her."

That chair, 11 feet tall, 6 feet wide and 5 feet deep, was made for Jan and given to her as a Christmas gift.

Later, it was used by the Cushing Junior High cheerleaders in a parade. After the parade and because it was starting to get old, the chair was put out to pasture on Hwy. 204.

Rhodes was a thoughtful person who wanted to spend as much time with his family as possible, said his friend Brian Tyre.

"His family has always been a priority for him and it's been inspiring to watch him be able to say no to certain things so he could spend time with his family," Tyre said. "He was just real, he wasn't your typical pastor who tried to use big words to impress someone or look a certain way. What you saw is what you got. He was just real and genuine."

Rhodes often helped potential ministers find their paths, Davis said.

"He had a group of five or six potential ministers who did their ‘final examination,' so to speak, and they had to give a 15-minute sermon and get rated," Davis said. "He was so proud of these individuals and it's nice because he kind of turned out six more preachers to the world last night, and then he died this morning."

That, Davis said, is just one of the many reasons Dan Rhodes' legacy will always live on.

Funeral for Rhodes will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at New Hope Congregational Methodist Church with his son Joshua Rhodes and son-in-law Michael Davis officiating. Burial will follow at McKnight Cemetery in Cushing.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 at Laird Funeral Home in

Nacogdoches.