Robert W. "Bob" Rohde

Bob Rohde was originally diagnosed with Stage 4A lymphoma in January 2015, but he refused to allow that unfortunate turn of events to define the rest of his life. On the contrary, he often described himself as a fortunate man. Aside from all the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, a bone marrow transplant, and two relapses, the majority of his remaining time with us was spent doing the things he loved best: paddle boarding, fly fishing, gardening, taking RV trips with his wife, Kay, enjoying grandchildren, and spoiling two Very Good Dogs, Marble and Pearl.

Bob often drew a comparison between his regulatory career in the pesticide and pharmaceutical industries and his attitude toward fighting cancer, saying that in his work life he was very often the bearer of bad news, but he was choosing to adopt a positive attitude going forward into his retirement and the cancer battle ahead. In large part because of his positive approach, he outlived all predictions for men with proliferative T-cell lymphoma - a fortunate man indeed. His good fortune was matched by his gratitude for being able to actively enjoy the time he had left.

He loved his family and valued his friends, work colleagues, fishing buddies, and paddling companions. Some of their best memories with Bob are paddle boarding on a lake on a beautiful day, catching and releasing rainbows and browns on a mountain stream and stripers on a river, cooking great Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Friday date night dinners, and hearing his surfer boy stories of skipping school and catching waves when he lived in Hawaii with his mom and brother, Bill, while his dad served in Vietnam.

Bob was the second son of Lynn and Margaret Rohde. His parents and brother preceded him in death. Those who will miss him most are his wife of 28 years, Kay; stepson Ryan McGovern, his wife, Carolyn, and their children Jack, Maddie, Katie, and Owen; stepdaughter Colleen Ludgate, her husband, James, and their daughters Norah and Vivian; special friends John Linnane and Muffy Grant and their children, Cashel, Ceci, Kitty and Coco; and longtime friends Bill Bryan, Keith Dorschner, Pierre Richard, and Jeff Evans.

A Liturgy of the Word in Bob’s memory will take place on Friday, August 18, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, with Monsignor Gerald L. Lewis presiding, followed by inurnment at the Columbarium on the church grounds.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bob’s memory may be made to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, 1924 Capital Boulevard, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604, or online at https://secure.foodbankcenc.org.