John T. Rohde, Jr.
John Thomas Rohde, Jr., age 88, of Cañon City, Colo., and recently of Homer, Alaska, died in Cañon City on April 13, 2017. He was born on March 1, 1929 in Kansas City, Mo. to John T. and Alice C. Rohde. John grew up in the Kansas City area and attended the University of Kansas and William Jewell College, before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Western State College of Colorado. He served in the U. S. Naval Reserve during the Korean war. His loving wife of 63 years, Jocelyn Rohde, died in 2014. He and Jocelyn were married at Christ Episcopal Church, Alameda, Calif., May 27, 1951. He is survived by their three children, Nancy Alice Hamersky of Denver, Hans (John T. III) Rohde of Colorado Springs, and Ruth Rohde Lively of New Haven, Conn., six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. John was a near life-long member of the Episcopal Church, and active in Episcopal churches in Missouri, California, Kansas, Arizona, Colorado and Alaska. He served as a Deputy from the Diocese of Colorado to the Episcopal Church General Convention for four threeyear terms from 1982 to 1994. At the time of his death he was an active member of Christ Church, Cañon City, Colo. Following his Navy service, John was employed by B-D-R Engineering Corporation in Kansas City, beginning as office manager, then in sales, and eventually advancing to president. In 1970 John and Jocelyn moved the family to Colorado where they owned and operated Pioneer Lodge, on Cement Creek, for 18 years as well as Los Pinos Gallery, an art and photography shop, in Gunnison. They also owned a quarter horse ranch, Rafter JR, just north of Gunnison, at that time. John was a member of several professional organizations, including Rotary, and he served as president of the Exchange Club of Kansas City. For many years he was a square dance club caller and teacher for the High Country Squares in Gunnison. John enjoyed reading and traveling. John and Jocelyn came out of semi-retirement in 1987 to enter the mission field of the Episcopal Church as Executive Directors of El Hogar Ministries (Th e Home of Love and Hope) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, a group of three homes and schools for abandoned and desperately poor children. Th ey served in that capacity, living in Central America, for nine years until retirement in 1996. A memorial ser vice is planned at Christ Episcopal Church in Cañon City on Saturday, May 13, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions, for those who wish, to El Hogar Ministries, Inc., 21 Cummings Park Dr. #238, Woburn, MA 01801, or to Christ Church, 802 Harrison Avenue, Cañon City, CO 81212.
