DEAN RHOADES, 64, founder of the Dean Rhoades Salon in Beverly Hills and
co-founder of DermaNew Skincare, passed away on September 6th in his sleep at
his Beverly Hills home. Dean was born on July 17, 1950, in Indianapolis, IN, to
Terry and Wynona Rhoades, of blessed memory.
Dean was an inventor and
innovator from his earliest days as a teen. He followed his dream to London at
age 20, where he studied at Vidal Sassoon and was quickly on his way to becoming
a world-class hair stylist. The Dean Rhoades Salon he founded became known for
excellence in hair and skincare, providing award-winning beauty solutions to a
celebrity clientele that relied upon Dean not only to style their hair, but to
create their image.
Dean was one of the first to recognize the emerging
role of salons as day spas. He was also one of the first who embraced
natural-based products by joining forces with Aveda. He felt that he wasn’t just
cutting hair, but instead changing the quality of his client’s lives.
It
was at a Beauty Industry Show when Dean met Amby Longhofer, his life and
business partner. It was love at first sight, and they married and had their
wonderful son, Wyatt. Dean and Amby created the first privately owned Aveda
Lifestyle Store and Salon in the heart of Beverly Hills.
Dean continued
his passion for invention, innovation, and design at DermaNew, inventing a
hand-held skin resurfacing device that became a new beauty category, and the
standard for at-home skin resurfacing.
As an accomplished entrepreneur,
Dean went to school and graduated after three years with an Executive MBA from
the Harvard Executive Education Business School OPM 34. He liked to joke that he
was “The Hairdresser who went to Harvard”.
Dean loved the ocean. And
besides hair, beauty, and his family, of course, deep-sea fishing was Dean’s
other love. Good sushi, global travel, world history, and a political debate
were things Dean couldn’t pass up.
Dean called himself a “serial
inventor” and if you stepped into his garage and workshop, you’d know why. Until
September 6th, Dean had been working on a couple more “dreams” that he will be
testing up there. And of course, we will soon see and enjoy them here, as he
will be waving down to us.
Amby as well as Dean’s sons, Dustin and Wyatt,
will honor his work and continue his legacy by bringing Dean’s latest inventions
to life. Dean’s sisters, Terri, Diana, Victoria, Dawn and brother Kent, will be
cheering on. And Dean’s two grandkids, Trey and Avery, will be following in the
footsteps of their amazing Granddad. He was loved by all of us and is
irreplaceable in our hearts.
Dean’s family, many friends, and
acquaintances mourn the loss of a man who gave his soul to creating a more
beautiful world for all. He left us with infinite knowledge, an enduring passion
for invention, and the realization that any dream really can come true.
A
Celebration of a Life Well-Lived will take place at 4:00 p.m. on October 17th at
the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church located at 505 N. Rodeo Dr. Beverly Hills,
CA 90210 All are invited to attend the celebration and the reception that will
immediately follow.
