Rodney S. “Biz” Cain passed away peacefully at the age of 78 at his childhood home, Caintuckee Acres, Independence, Kentucky, on December 1, 2016, after his long journey with Alzheimer’s supported by his loving family. A lifelong resident of Northern Kentucky, he never lived more than a few miles from his place of birth. He and Jackie Cain, his wife, were the founders of Wiseway Plumbing, Electric, and Lighting Supply, a regional distributor in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
Biz graduated from Simon Kenton High School and the University of Kentucky College of Business. He was very hardworking, cared about his community, and was a serial entrepreneur. From his earliest days, he would sell fertilizer in the spring and build houses the rest of the year. He would put in the plumbing, electrical, and septic systems for his own homes and the homes others built nearby. Recognizing the growth in the more rural areas of Northern Kentucky, he started Wiseway Plumbing, Electrical, and Lighting Supply, a business now owned and operated by his eldest son, John Cain.
From early in adulthood, Biz served the community. First, he was the youth director for the Greater Cincinnati YMCA and the choir director at Brucewood Presbyterian Church. He served as an early chairman of the Boone County Water Commission. Along with many other community-oriented service roles, he would later serve as Chair of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Biz and John were the first father and son to serve as Chairs of the Board of the Northern Kentucky Chamber. In 1995, he was appointed by Governor Paul Patton to serve in his Cabinet as the Secretary of Work Force Development. In 1998, before finally retiring, Biz served as the Kenton County Judge-Executive.
Biz will be truly missed by everyone that knew him. John Cain, his oldest son and current owner of Wiseway Plumbing, Electric and Lighting Supply, admired his father, often remarking about following in his father’s footsteps with the same entrepreneurial spirit and zest for serving the community. John thinking aloud said, “I have enjoyed all the years working with, and learning from, my father, whether side-by-side until 1994 or the many years of counsel and loving support later. I, our Company, and our community will miss him greatly.”
Visitation will be held at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home in Independence, Kentucky from 4:00pm to 8:00pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2016. The Funeral Service will be at 12:00pm the next day, Wednesday, December 7, 2016, also at Chambers and Grubbs. He will be interred at Independence Cemetery immediately following the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Center at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at 101 Sanders-Brown Building, 800 S. Limestone Street, Lexington KY 40536 or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) at 8050 Hosbrook Rd #314, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
Rodney’s obituary can be found here.
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