Travis Rhodes was a devoted husband and father who cherished spending time with his three-year old son Taylor. An ardent LSU fan, Travis took Taylor to his first LSU tailgating party when he was just six months old. Travis loved fishing, riding four wheelers, and boating, buying a race boat at age 33. Travis died shortly thereafter when his boat flipped during practice. Through his donations of eyes and tissue, he gave sight to two people and healed more than 50 others. "Travis was the most giving person – with the biggest heart – of anyone I knew," recalled his wife Renee.

Travis's Story

Travis James Rhodes was a native Louisianan with a love for the outdoors, particularly hunting, fishing and boat racing. Travis met his future wife Renee in 1991 and married her the next year. Their precious son Taylor was born in 2000 when Travis was 30. He loved being a father and even took five weeks off from work when Taylor was born. Travis took his son everywhere, from LSU football games to watching boat races on False River.

Travis had hunted and fished as a teenager but began fishing more and more as he got older. He got his first boat when he was 22, and replaced that boat three years later. But Travis shared with Renee that racing boats was his life-long passion. In July 2003, Travis fulfilled his dream by getting a race boat.

Travis was a giving person with a huge heart. He yearned to be the person that others were proud of, and especially wanted his son to feel that way about him. When Travis and Renee had married, Renee knew that she wanted to register as an organ donor whereas Travis wasn't sure. When they celebrated their 10th anniversary, the issue came up again. By that point, and with the added perspective of fatherhood, Travis' opinion had changed.

After Travis' boat flipped during race practice on August 6, 2003, EMTs worked diligently to save him but it was too late. When the local organ recovery agency called Renee, she knew without a doubt that he would have wanted to help others. "Travis was the most giving person – with the biggest heart – of anyone I knew," she recalled. Travis could not have known that his legacy would include giving sight to two people and healing more than 50 other people through the donation of his tissue.

Since Travis' death, Renee has volunteered and worked with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA), been a member of the Donate Life Rose Parade Float Committee, and volunteered with LifeShare of the Carolinas. She and Taylor, now 13, will proudly stand in Pasadena when Travis' floragraph passes by on the Donate Life float in the 2014 Rose Parade.