Albert Joseph Rodde
October 11, 1945 – September 7, 2020
Albert Joseph Rodde was born 11 October 1945 to Evelyn Johanna Rodde nee Rieckmann and Anton Frank Rodde of Westmont, with one sibling- older brother Anton Frank Rodde Jr. Both parents were raised in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago and had moved to a Cape Cod style house in the then-rural suburb of Westmont.
As a boy, Al loved cowboys and playing softball in a nearby field. He and his brother attended Holy Trinity Catholic School and graduated from St. Procopius College Academy (now known as Benet Acadamy) in Lisle, Illinois in 1963. In that same year he met Karen Ann Slachetka of Downers Grove at a social gathering at Argonne National Laboratory, where she worked. They married in 1967 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Downers Grove. Over the next 30 years they raised three children- Carlene, Kevin, and Rachel. Karen and Al were married for 53 years.
Professionally, Al leveraged his superior artistic skills right out of high school to join a company designing and fabricating unique, wrought iron decorative products, where he quickly progressed in understanding how metal behaves and can be shaped.This experience and his love of automobiles then led him to a job at a General Motors auto production facility- Fisher Body. Management soon recognized his work ethic and enthusiasm by offering him a transfer to the GM Electomotive division in an engineering support role for diesel train design, manufacture and maintenance, where he became a go-to expert for problem solving. He worked for General Motors for 32 years. Upon retirement from GM, Al turned his attention to community support programs where he became a 24/7 First Responder for the town of Westmont with the Emergency Management Agency. He also volunteered for the Citizen’s Police Academy and the Citizen’s Fire Academy of Westmont. Albert also organized the town’s Crossing Guard program under Andy Frain, where he personally took three shifts daily in addition to recruiting and managing the entire staff of guards.
The beauty of our natural landscape was a source of wonder for him, and following in he father’s footsteps, he practiced the art of nature photography, taking thousands of photos. He took his family on many vacations throughout the American West- Bryce, Zion, the Grand Canyon, Arches, Banff, Jasper, Rocky Mountains, Needles, Badlands, Yosemite, and Redwoods. In the past few years he visited Alaska and Mexico. His love for nature and photography has been passed on to yet another generation in his children.
It is said of Al by more than one person “he is the smartest man I ever met”. He was an artist, designer, inventor, and craftsman. Al’s creative mind was constantly occupied with ways to improve whatever was in front of him. His children and grandchildren knew there was nothing that he could not fix or make “better”. He loved to explain things, and his detailed knowledge on many subjects made that not only possible, but inevitable.
A White Sox fan, a Laurel and Hardy fan, and a great lover of games which included Ball in the Hall, the card game Slaughterhouse (both of which he invented) and the board game Sorry. Over the years he played softball, baseball, wallyball and was also a graceful ice skater. His fitness level was that of someone 20 years his junior. He loved Christmas and picking the perfect live tree (or making it perfect himself). His musical taste tended toward classical although in his younger years he also loved the Moody Blues. Other favorites were Wagner, Sibelius, and Dvorak. Favorite piece of music was Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major. His favorite local group was the Cryan Shames.
Al loved to talk (and talk) and engaged people wherever he went. He truly cared about people and was someone always ready to help a neighbor. His enthusiasm for life and his sense of humor never waned.
Albert was a man of deep religious conviction and it gave him comfort even in the end. He paraphrased Mark 12:30-31 often over the years, and with much feeling. He would say “It all boils down to- Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Albert Rodde is survived by his wife Karen Rodde nee Slachetka and their children: Carlene Mogavero and husband Michael Mogavero, Kevin and wife Amy Rodde nee Campana, and Rachel Pavlovich and husband Jason Pavlovich; beloved grandchildren Max and Sophia Mogavero and Aaron and Joanna Rodde, and brother Anton Frank Rodde Jr. and wife Carolyn Rodde nee Orloff; also nieces and nephews.
He will be greatly missed.
“We are honoring the life of Albert J. Rodde on what would have been his 76th birthday at Modell Funeral Home on October 11, 2021. There will be photos, prayers, and remarks at 10am which we will livestream for those not able to attend in person. Link to livestream will be made available below this message. Please email Karen Rodde at [email protected] if you would like more information. In person event will include masks and social distancing.”
October 11, 2021 – 10:00am cst
The live stream will begin about 10 minutes before the service starts. Please press the play button in the player above. You will see a screen stating that the live stream will begin shortly along with some soft music to make sure your speakers are working properly. Once the stream has ended, the video will be available to view once it has been uploaded. We recommend using Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Microsoft Edge web browsers. Internet Explorer may not work due to Microsoft’s discontinued support of the browser.