Dick Rohde passed peacefully at home in Ocala, Florida, June 4. Born on Staten Island, NY, Dec. 21, 1925, to Frederick and Stephanie, he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Helen; five children, Kelly (Boardman OH), Patty (Indianapolis), Bobbi (Austin TX), Fred (Granada Hills CA), and Cliff (Niskayuna NY); eleven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his brother, Fred (Ocala) and cousin, Grace Hathaway (Ocean NJ).
Dick earned the Purple Heart serving on the USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS, DE413, sunk in the WWII Battle of Leyte Gulf. A “Hotelie,” Dick graduated from Cornell Univ. in 1951.
He served as private club manager at The Ohio State Univ. Faculty Club, and at clubs in Monroe, Grosse Ile, and Birmingham, Michigan. 27 years in Michigan did not shake his allegiance to his OSU Buckeyes.
Dick and Helen retired to Ocala in 1996, where Dick engaged actively as a volunteer, including with the Samuel B. Roberts Survivors Ass’n, Ocala West United Methodist Church, VA, OMUG, and Lion’s Club. Dick, an eternal optimist, storyteller and jokester, profoundly touched the lives of those he knew.
Memorial services will be Saturday, June 13, at 3 p.m. at Ocala West United Methodist Church, 9330 SW 105th St. The family encourages in lieu of flowers a gift in Dick’s memory to the American Cancer Society.
