ROESKE, Rodney H. 12/17/1932 - 1/9/2019
Rod Roeske, who found home in the desert Southwest and its rivers for the past 58 years, died at age 86 from pneumonia following a hip fracture in late December 2018. He was born in Valders, Wis., third of four children to Ed and Arline Roeske. He grew up in Wayside, a very small German community near Green Bay with four bars, two churches and a bowling alley. His love for baseball, polka music, canoeing, and good home-cooked food came from those roots. He had an adventurous spirit, and after graduating from De Pere High School (1950) he took time at University of Wisconsin Madison to explore liberal arts as well as a degree in Geological Engineering. His love of reading and art lasted throughout his life. He served in Korea (post-war) as a 2nd Lt. in the Army for two years after college. He started his career in hydrology in the U.S. Geological Survey in 1958, first in Columbus, Ohio and then in Tucson starting in 1962. His study of Arizona surface water allowed him to explore both local (Rillito) and distant (Colorado) rivers, and he had many fine adventures on them. Known for his great sense of humor and straight-forward manner he enjoyed a diverse group of friends he met through work, baseball, and beyond. He continued to explore, taking a 2-year leave to work for the World Meteorogical Organization in Malawi in the late 1970s. He retired from the USGS in 1989, and then helped friends with their field work and traveled extensively until a serious stroke in 1999. The stroke slowed his stride and his speech but not his intellect. He worked hard to recover and did to the extent that he lived independently in his home, traveled abroad through the Road Scholar program and locally with friends, and continued to make new friends. The Aphasia Center of Tucson played a major role in his recovery, reinforcing his positive outlook and giving him tools to live his life on his terms. He is survived by his brother, Robert Roeske of Madison, WI; his niece, Sarah Roeske (spouse Karl Mertz) of Newcastle, CA and numerous friends. Charitable gifts to the Friends of Aphasia (https://friendsofaphasia.com) and/or the Community Food bank of southern Arizona (https://www.communityfoodbank.org) in his memory would be appreciated. Arrangements by ANGEL VALLEY FUNERAL HOME.
