Kenneth Hopkins Rood, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, teacher, and friend, entered peacefully into rest on May 24, 2012 in the comfort of his home, surrounded with love. Kenneth was born on March 21, 1916 in Litchfield County Hospital, the firstborn son of Emma Hopkins Rood and Myles Humphrey Rood. Ken was a graduate of Avon Old Farms and completed his undergraduate work at Williams College with a B.A. in history. He received his master's degree in education from the University of Chicago and went on to teach at the Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii. While there, he received his draft notice. After a brief visit home to Connecticut, he began his military service in the Army Medical Corps, stationed in Guadalcanal. Upon honorable discharge from the Army, Ken began post-graduate work at Yale, with the intention of eventually "teaching his way around the world." Initially intending to supplement his GI Bill funding, he applied for a teaching position at the Hopkins School. Ken soon found that he did not have to travel the world to find the two loves of his life; they were found in New Haven at Hopkins and in Shelton, where he met his soul mate and wife of 64 years, Nancy Nettleton Rood, who predeceased him this past August. Ken remained at Hopkins for his entire career until he retired at the age of 70, but returned often to work on the school archives. He was a history teacher, coach, advisor, and served as principal of the Junior School. He will be remembered fondly by countless students, fellow faculty members, and families. Ken believed that a school was both a community and a family, and he and his family's weekends were spent attending plays, concerts, and sporting events. Ken's commitment to his community extended to various organizations throughout New Haven and the Valley, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, the Church of the Good Shepherd, Hewitt Memorial Hospital, and the Shelton Parks and Recreation Department. Ken possessed an abiding love of nature and the outdoors and was a staunch supporter of the Audubon and National Wildlife Foundations. He also loved the beach and enjoyed his annual vacations to the Weekapaug Inn in Rhode Island. Kenneth is survived by his loving family: his daughter, Judy Rood Bosch and son-in-law Ralph A. Bosch, Jr. of Trumbull, his granddaughter Kathryne Bosch of Seymour, his brother Robert T. Rood of Hamden, and his sister Elizabeth A. Rood of Farmington, as well as many beloved friends. As much as Ken will be missed by so many whose lives he touched, we may comfort ourselves in the knowledge that he is joined with his beloved Nancy once again. Friends may call on Tuesday, May 29th from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Road, Shelton, CT. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, May 30th at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 186 Coram Avenue, Shelton, CT. Burial with full military honors will follow at Riverside Cemetery in Shelton. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Kenneth's memory through the funeral director to the Hopkins School, the Church of the Good Shepherd, or the Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley.
Published by Connecticut Post from May 26 to May 28, 2012.