Uncle Jim lived in Indianapolis, Indiana in the 1970s, worked in Kuwait in the Middle East for two years, and spent his retirement years in Phoenix, Arizona.
Obituary
James A. Rodden, 94, breathed his last in the presence of his beloved wife of 61 years, Helen, on September 1, 2018. Also present were their children and spouses, and dear grandchildren. His devotion to his family and to the practice of his Holy Catholic faith supported him and ultimately gave him and his family peace.
James was born in the coal mining town of West Frankfort, Illinois. An electrician by trade, he worked in the Portland shipyards, at Pearl Harbor, and in projects overseas before joining Helen Sullivan in Holy Matrimony. They raised their family in Chicago and Indianapolis, but called Phoenix home for almost 30 years. His loves were few but deep: faith, family, fruit trees, Notre Dame sports, and a few other things. He never stopped giving his best fatherly or grandfatherly advice to all who asked his help, and those who loved him saw a love that endured and a faith that guided him, even during periods of sickness.
James is survived by his wife, Helen; his sons Michael (and wife Jennifer), Gregory (and wife Betheny), and Thomas Rodden (and wife Freda); his daughters Maureen Schmidt (and husband John) and Maria Theut (and husband Paul); his grandchildren Daniel, Christopher, Rachel, and Nicholas Rodden; Mary Kate, Joseph, Thomas, and Annie Schmidt; James, Michael, Elizabeth, Patrick, and Matthew Theut; and his brother, Jack Rodden. He is preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Hohman, and his brothers Angus, Patrick, and Daniel Rodden.
The funeral Mass for James will be on Friday, September 7, at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church beginning at 10:00 a.m. for Visitation and Rosary, with Mass following at 11:00 a.m. Father Bruno Cuario will preside. James will be laid to rest at Holy Redeemer Cemetery.
The family gratefully accepts your prayers during this time. In lieu of flowers family requests donations to Life Choices Women's Clinic (9303 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona. 85020)
Mass of Christian Burial
St. Paul Catholic Church
330 W. Coral Gables Dr.
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
Friday, September 7, 2018
10:30 AM
Burial
Holy Redeemer Catholic Cemetery
23015 N Cave Creek Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85024
Friday, September 7, 2018
12:00 PM
Kathleen Kale came over from Ireland as a mail-order bride to marry Uncle Jim Rodden and she live with Mary Jean Slack and Helen Sullivan in the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers in Chicago. It turned out that Uncle Jim fell in love with and married Helen Sullivan. When Kathleen found out that Mary Jean was a member of the Young Republicans, she was shocked asking, Mary Jean, "isn't it a mortal sin to be a republican?", apparently most Irish Catholics believing that republicans are evil. In later years the Sullivan family would see Kathleen in the background in a video clip from Rome as they said the nightly rosary with Mother Angelica on EWTN.
Growing up on a farm was pretty hard for Helen's brother Jerry and he does not have fond memories of it. He left Dunlap, Iowa because there was nothing to do there and went to Chicago to join his sisters Helen and Maureen who had been there a couple of years. He met his future wife Mary Jean shortly after arriving (met her the night she arrived from Joliet). Mary Jean, "Honeychild" as everyone calls her now, was living with his sisters Maureen and Helen at the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers. Lewis College in Joliet is where Honey Child learned to fly. She had a day off from High School and she and 4 or 5 classmates decided to take a plane ride. She liked it and asked her parents if she could take flying lessons. She got a job right away so that she could pay for the lessons. Her parents then gave her a 1/6th interest in the plane as a graduation present. At some point in his life, Gerald had rheumatic fever and a heart murmer, so the Navy kept him for two extra months to make sure he was well when he left and paid him disability for three years after he was discharged. The Navy determined that 15% of his disability was not the result of his military service but that 85% was. Disability payments stopped when he got married. When Gerald got out of Navy, he ran the Legion Club in Dunlap for three months, then in October 1955 he went to Chicago and started working at the First National Bank of Chicago for three years. September 21, 1958 was his first day at Sears, retiring in February 1992, and moving to Phoenix, Arizona. Sears then asked him to come back for a couple of months because they were short-handed. When discussing with his daughter Susan the ordering of the tombstone for his grandson, Anthony, Jerry told his daughter that before he went into the navy he wanted to become a mortician because the mortician was then only one in Dunlap with money. In the January/February 2000 issue of DAV Magazine there is a picture captioned, "The DAV Remembers... In Panmunjom Korea an American repatriated prisoner of war steps to freedom from a North Korean truck at the UN receiving point. Photo taken Sept. 1953." Jerry was there that day.
Obituary
James A. Rodden, 94, breathed his last in the presence of his beloved wife of 61 years, Helen, on September 1, 2018. Also present were their children and spouses, and dear grandchildren. His devotion to his family and to the practice of his Holy Catholic faith supported him and ultimately gave him and his family peace.
James was born in the coal mining town of West Frankfort, Illinois. An electrician by trade, he worked in the Portland shipyards, at Pearl Harbor, and in projects overseas before joining Helen Sullivan in Holy Matrimony. They raised their family in Chicago and Indianapolis, but called Phoenix home for almost 30 years. His loves were few but deep: faith, family, fruit trees, Notre Dame sports, and a few other things. He never stopped giving his best fatherly or grandfatherly advice to all who asked his help, and those who loved him saw a love that endured and a faith that guided him, even during periods of sickness.
James is survived by his wife, Helen; his sons Michael (and wife Jennifer), Gregory (and wife Betheny), and Thomas Rodden (and wife Freda); his daughters Maureen Schmidt (and husband John) and Maria Theut (and husband Paul); his grandchildren Daniel, Christopher, Rachel, and Nicholas Rodden; Mary Kate, Joseph, Thomas, and Annie Schmidt; James, Michael, Elizabeth, Patrick, and Matthew Theut; and his brother, Jack Rodden. He is preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Hohman, and his brothers Angus, Patrick, and Daniel Rodden.
The funeral Mass for James will be on Friday, September 7, at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church beginning at 10:00 a.m. for Visitation and Rosary, with Mass following at 11:00 a.m. Father Bruno Cuario will preside. James will be laid to rest at Holy Redeemer Cemetery.
The family gratefully accepts your prayers during this time. In lieu of flowers family requests donations to Life Choices Women's Clinic (9303 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona. 85020)
Mass of Christian Burial
St. Paul Catholic Church
330 W. Coral Gables Dr.
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
Friday, September 7, 2018
10:30 AM
Burial
Holy Redeemer Catholic Cemetery
23015 N Cave Creek Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85024
Friday, September 7, 2018
12:00 PM
Kathleen Kale came over from Ireland as a mail-order bride to marry Uncle Jim Rodden and she live with Mary Jean Slack and Helen Sullivan in the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers in Chicago. It turned out that Uncle Jim fell in love with and married Helen Sullivan. When Kathleen found out that Mary Jean was a member of the Young Republicans, she was shocked asking, Mary Jean, "isn't it a mortal sin to be a republican?", apparently most Irish Catholics believing that republicans are evil. In later years the Sullivan family would see Kathleen in the background in a video clip from Rome as they said the nightly rosary with Mother Angelica on EWTN.
Growing up on a farm was pretty hard for Helen's brother Jerry and he does not have fond memories of it. He left Dunlap, Iowa because there was nothing to do there and went to Chicago to join his sisters Helen and Maureen who had been there a couple of years. He met his future wife Mary Jean shortly after arriving (met her the night she arrived from Joliet). Mary Jean, "Honeychild" as everyone calls her now, was living with his sisters Maureen and Helen at the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers. Lewis College in Joliet is where Honey Child learned to fly. She had a day off from High School and she and 4 or 5 classmates decided to take a plane ride. She liked it and asked her parents if she could take flying lessons. She got a job right away so that she could pay for the lessons. Her parents then gave her a 1/6th interest in the plane as a graduation present. At some point in his life, Gerald had rheumatic fever and a heart murmer, so the Navy kept him for two extra months to make sure he was well when he left and paid him disability for three years after he was discharged. The Navy determined that 15% of his disability was not the result of his military service but that 85% was. Disability payments stopped when he got married. When Gerald got out of Navy, he ran the Legion Club in Dunlap for three months, then in October 1955 he went to Chicago and started working at the First National Bank of Chicago for three years. September 21, 1958 was his first day at Sears, retiring in February 1992, and moving to Phoenix, Arizona. Sears then asked him to come back for a couple of months because they were short-handed. When discussing with his daughter Susan the ordering of the tombstone for his grandson, Anthony, Jerry told his daughter that before he went into the navy he wanted to become a mortician because the mortician was then only one in Dunlap with money. In the January/February 2000 issue of DAV Magazine there is a picture captioned, "The DAV Remembers... In Panmunjom Korea an American repatriated prisoner of war steps to freedom from a North Korean truck at the UN receiving point. Photo taken Sept. 1953." Jerry was there that day.
Uncle Jim lived in Indianapolis, Indiana in the 1970s, worked in Kuwait in the Middle East for two years, and spent his retirement years in Phoenix, Arizona.
Obituary
James A. Rodden, 94, breathed his last in the presence of his beloved wife of 61 years, Helen, on September 1, 2018. Also present were their children and spouses, and dear grandchildren. His devotion to his family and to the practice of his Holy Catholic faith supported him and ultimately gave him and his family peace.
James was born in the coal mining town of West Frankfort, Illinois. An electrician by trade, he worked in the Portland shipyards, at Pearl Harbor, and in projects overseas before joining Helen Sullivan in Holy Matrimony. They raised their family in Chicago and Indianapolis, but called Phoenix home for almost 30 years. His loves were few but deep: faith, family, fruit trees, Notre Dame sports, and a few other things. He never stopped giving his best fatherly or grandfatherly advice to all who asked his help, and those who loved him saw a love that endured and a faith that guided him, even during periods of sickness.
James is survived by his wife, Helen; his sons Michael (and wife Jennifer), Gregory (and wife Betheny), and Thomas Rodden (and wife Freda); his daughters Maureen Schmidt (and husband John) and Maria Theut (and husband Paul); his grandchildren Daniel, Christopher, Rachel, and Nicholas Rodden; Mary Kate, Joseph, Thomas, and Annie Schmidt; James, Michael, Elizabeth, Patrick, and Matthew Theut; and his brother, Jack Rodden. He is preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Hohman, and his brothers Angus, Patrick, and Daniel Rodden.
The funeral Mass for James will be on Friday, September 7, at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church beginning at 10:00 a.m. for Visitation and Rosary, with Mass following at 11:00 a.m. Father Bruno Cuario will preside. James will be laid to rest at Holy Redeemer Cemetery.
The family gratefully accepts your prayers during this time. In lieu of flowers family requests donations to Life Choices Women's Clinic (9303 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona. 85020)
Mass of Christian Burial
St. Paul Catholic Church
330 W. Coral Gables Dr.
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
Friday, September 7, 2018
10:30 AM
Burial
Holy Redeemer Catholic Cemetery
23015 N Cave Creek Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85024
Friday, September 7, 2018
12:00 PM
Kathleen Kale came over from Ireland as a mail-order bride to marry Uncle Jim Rodden and she live with Mary Jean Slack and Helen Sullivan in the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers in Chicago. It turned out that Uncle Jim fell in love with and married Helen Sullivan. When Kathleen found out that Mary Jean was a member of the Young Republicans, she was shocked asking, Mary Jean, "isn't it a mortal sin to be a republican?", apparently most Irish Catholics believing that republicans are evil. In later years the Sullivan family would see Kathleen in the background in a video clip from Rome as they said the nightly rosary with Mother Angelica on EWTN.
Growing up on a farm was pretty hard for Helen's brother Jerry and he does not have fond memories of it. He left Dunlap, Iowa because there was nothing to do there and went to Chicago to join his sisters Helen and Maureen who had been there a couple of years. He met his future wife Mary Jean shortly after arriving (met her the night she arrived from Joliet). Mary Jean, "Honeychild" as everyone calls her now, was living with his sisters Maureen and Helen at the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers. Lewis College in Joliet is where Honey Child learned to fly. She had a day off from High School and she and 4 or 5 classmates decided to take a plane ride. She liked it and asked her parents if she could take flying lessons. She got a job right away so that she could pay for the lessons. Her parents then gave her a 1/6th interest in the plane as a graduation present. At some point in his life, Gerald had rheumatic fever and a heart murmer, so the Navy kept him for two extra months to make sure he was well when he left and paid him disability for three years after he was discharged. The Navy determined that 15% of his disability was not the result of his military service but that 85% was. Disability payments stopped when he got married. When Gerald got out of Navy, he ran the Legion Club in Dunlap for three months, then in October 1955 he went to Chicago and started working at the First National Bank of Chicago for three years. September 21, 1958 was his first day at Sears, retiring in February 1992, and moving to Phoenix, Arizona. Sears then asked him to come back for a couple of months because they were short-handed. When discussing with his daughter Susan the ordering of the tombstone for his grandson, Anthony, Jerry told his daughter that before he went into the navy he wanted to become a mortician because the mortician was then only one in Dunlap with money. In the January/February 2000 issue of DAV Magazine there is a picture captioned, "The DAV Remembers... In Panmunjom Korea an American repatriated prisoner of war steps to freedom from a North Korean truck at the UN receiving point. Photo taken Sept. 1953." Jerry was there that day.
Obituary
James A. Rodden, 94, breathed his last in the presence of his beloved wife of 61 years, Helen, on September 1, 2018. Also present were their children and spouses, and dear grandchildren. His devotion to his family and to the practice of his Holy Catholic faith supported him and ultimately gave him and his family peace.
James was born in the coal mining town of West Frankfort, Illinois. An electrician by trade, he worked in the Portland shipyards, at Pearl Harbor, and in projects overseas before joining Helen Sullivan in Holy Matrimony. They raised their family in Chicago and Indianapolis, but called Phoenix home for almost 30 years. His loves were few but deep: faith, family, fruit trees, Notre Dame sports, and a few other things. He never stopped giving his best fatherly or grandfatherly advice to all who asked his help, and those who loved him saw a love that endured and a faith that guided him, even during periods of sickness.
James is survived by his wife, Helen; his sons Michael (and wife Jennifer), Gregory (and wife Betheny), and Thomas Rodden (and wife Freda); his daughters Maureen Schmidt (and husband John) and Maria Theut (and husband Paul); his grandchildren Daniel, Christopher, Rachel, and Nicholas Rodden; Mary Kate, Joseph, Thomas, and Annie Schmidt; James, Michael, Elizabeth, Patrick, and Matthew Theut; and his brother, Jack Rodden. He is preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Hohman, and his brothers Angus, Patrick, and Daniel Rodden.
The funeral Mass for James will be on Friday, September 7, at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church beginning at 10:00 a.m. for Visitation and Rosary, with Mass following at 11:00 a.m. Father Bruno Cuario will preside. James will be laid to rest at Holy Redeemer Cemetery.
The family gratefully accepts your prayers during this time. In lieu of flowers family requests donations to Life Choices Women's Clinic (9303 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona. 85020)
Mass of Christian Burial
St. Paul Catholic Church
330 W. Coral Gables Dr.
Phoenix, Arizona 85032
Friday, September 7, 2018
10:30 AM
Burial
Holy Redeemer Catholic Cemetery
23015 N Cave Creek Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85024
Friday, September 7, 2018
12:00 PM
Kathleen Kale came over from Ireland as a mail-order bride to marry Uncle Jim Rodden and she live with Mary Jean Slack and Helen Sullivan in the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers in Chicago. It turned out that Uncle Jim fell in love with and married Helen Sullivan. When Kathleen found out that Mary Jean was a member of the Young Republicans, she was shocked asking, Mary Jean, "isn't it a mortal sin to be a republican?", apparently most Irish Catholics believing that republicans are evil. In later years the Sullivan family would see Kathleen in the background in a video clip from Rome as they said the nightly rosary with Mother Angelica on EWTN.
Growing up on a farm was pretty hard for Helen's brother Jerry and he does not have fond memories of it. He left Dunlap, Iowa because there was nothing to do there and went to Chicago to join his sisters Helen and Maureen who had been there a couple of years. He met his future wife Mary Jean shortly after arriving (met her the night she arrived from Joliet). Mary Jean, "Honeychild" as everyone calls her now, was living with his sisters Maureen and Helen at the Illinois Club for Catholic Women in Loyola University's Lewis Towers. Lewis College in Joliet is where Honey Child learned to fly. She had a day off from High School and she and 4 or 5 classmates decided to take a plane ride. She liked it and asked her parents if she could take flying lessons. She got a job right away so that she could pay for the lessons. Her parents then gave her a 1/6th interest in the plane as a graduation present. At some point in his life, Gerald had rheumatic fever and a heart murmer, so the Navy kept him for two extra months to make sure he was well when he left and paid him disability for three years after he was discharged. The Navy determined that 15% of his disability was not the result of his military service but that 85% was. Disability payments stopped when he got married. When Gerald got out of Navy, he ran the Legion Club in Dunlap for three months, then in October 1955 he went to Chicago and started working at the First National Bank of Chicago for three years. September 21, 1958 was his first day at Sears, retiring in February 1992, and moving to Phoenix, Arizona. Sears then asked him to come back for a couple of months because they were short-handed. When discussing with his daughter Susan the ordering of the tombstone for his grandson, Anthony, Jerry told his daughter that before he went into the navy he wanted to become a mortician because the mortician was then only one in Dunlap with money. In the January/February 2000 issue of DAV Magazine there is a picture captioned, "The DAV Remembers... In Panmunjom Korea an American repatriated prisoner of war steps to freedom from a North Korean truck at the UN receiving point. Photo taken Sept. 1953." Jerry was there that day.
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