Was very sad to hear the news of Rod’s passing --- He was a mentor and friend to me and a true inspiration to those around him.

During the years I knew him, Rod was passionate about 3 things – serving youth, sailing and music.

Rod started a ministry in Ballard known as “the Center” –  A gathering place for youth with no other place to go. Rod spent heavily of his own resources and volunteered countless hours to completely renovate the basement of an old, musty church-owned building into a hip hangout for kids. He was passionate about serving kids and providing a positive influence on their life choices. Rod wasn’t bound by convention, tradition or trying to appease others – he saw a need and utilized his creativity and generosity to fill it. He never received a great deal of attention or commendation for his efforts, but maintained a servant’s heart and Christlike attitude--- something I would only come to fully appreciate after the fact. The Center served many of Ballard’s youth while it was in operation--- they could play video games with state of the art technology, use the computer lab, get help with homework or be mentored by the volunteer staff.

Rod also had a sailboat – he certainly didn’t have to entertain us youth kids, but on numerous occasions, Rod would take some of us from the youth group out sailing on the sound--- we did some fishing, jumped in the water, learned how a sail boat worked, docked at a random island or in downtown Seattle, entertained each other and overall, had way more fun than we deserved. For most of us, this was the first time we had ever sailed or seen so much adventure on the water. Some of my fondest memories from teenage years were being out on the Puget Sound on a beautiful summer night, with not a care in the world, and in the company of great friends. In these moments, Rod was showcasing his generous spirit and concern for us kids, without any expectation of return.

Rod was also passionate about music. A gifted musician himself, Rod took a special interest in the early days of our band, “Desperation”, as it was called at the time. As Ryan, Micah and Kevin can also attest to, he was one of our biggest cheerleaders and saw the potential in us, when few did. He put up with some overly loud rehearsal sessions, and was the first attempt a recording session with us on his 8-channel digital recorder (the song was “Something Beautiful” although I’m not sure our performance fit the bill). He also ran sound for our first real show on June 21st in 2002, with other bands, New American Standard, Trousers and Souldeep. The walls of the historic Ballard church building had never shaken so much--- and that was something I always appreciated about Rod—he wasn’t afraid to turn up the volume knob. The picture attached is something he captured that night from the sound booth… there would be many more shows to come (eventually under the new name, Elite Stranger), but none as special as this first effort--- which Rod helped us pull off in grand scale. Rod gave us permission to pour countless hours into something that most neighbors of our practice sessions considered a monumental nuisance. He saw our passion and saw something in us that we didn’t see in ourselves. He was definitely our biggest fan (over the age of 15) and had fun even as he put up with blaring, out of tune guitars and some pitchy vocals.

Of course, there was a lot more to Rod than sailing, music and his passion for serving youth--- but those were the aspects where his servant’s heart and jovial personality showed through most brightly in my life. Rod didn’t come of these traits by accident – he was always emphatic on his central driving passion which was his faith in Christ. Never the one to be pushy, he led by example while encouraging us to pursue God in everything we did.

Rod, you will truly be missed – you left a strong impression on my life and the lives of many of my contemporaries. Our prayers are with your family in this great time of loss.