Obituary of Dave Roddy

Dave (Valmond) Roddy

May 31, 1946 – March 15, 2020

Dave Roddy, roaming ambassador, good neighbor, notorious putterer and all-around handy man, died peacefully on Sunday, March 15, 2020, surrounded by family.

Dave enjoyed work and life in various US cities including Storm Lake, IA; Rochester, NY; Minneapolis, MN; Simi Valley & Yorba Linda, CA and Penn Yan, NY.  His youth was spent in Gonzalez, LA where he excelled as a Golden Gloves boxer and standout bull riding rodeo cowboy and on the wide-open ranges of his grandparent’s ranch in Gunnison, CO.

Dave worked as an installation manager of material handling systems for many major clients across the US.  He was awarded the Dayton, Ohio hotel door keyhole after a remarkable seven year stay in the same room.  He enjoyed a good poker game, harassing his father (Blacky, deceased) and father-in-law (“Wild Bill” Kerdus, deceased), jet skiing and boating on Keuka Lake and doting on his four-legged canine companions with a special fondness for current blue merle Aussie, Breeze. 

He kept in constant touch with beloved brothers Bobby (Susan) Roddy and Alan (Kathy) Roddy and friends Mitch Strang and Dave Jones.  Special women in his life included Pearl Hildreth (grandmother, deceased), Blanche Roddy (mother, deceased), Reta Kerdus (mother-in-law), Beth Jones & Victoria Dunlap (sister-in-laws), Carolyn Dent, Mary Youngblood, Punk (Ray) Mullins and Chrystal Roddy (sister, deceased).  Dave was also preceded in death by brothers Larry and Ronald.

Surviving Dave is his wife of 41 plus years, Mary (Rochester, NY); son, Taff (Baton Rouge, LA); daughter, Dallas (Baton Rouge, LA); daughter, Trinity (Phoenix, AZ); three grandchildren including Peyton Roddy, Cheyenne Wise and Nash Kiger and two great grandchildren. 

Those closest to Dave will miss his generous spirit, his mechanical & organizational skills, his seven iron only golf game and his unfiltered opinions.  We know he’ll continue to direct us from heaven!

Celebrations of his life and good times will be planned in Penn Yan, NY and Baton Rouge, LA at future dates.