Rodney William Timm

Preceded in death by his parents, Paul & Helen (Diekman) Timm, his siblings Neil and Shiryl (Timm) Pauley and his mother and father-in-law Truman and Elaine (McDonald) McCaslin.

We imagine it was quite the joyous reunion considering the extraordinary human that he was.

He was born in the tiny town of Woodbine, Kansas, which brought the population to a whopping 195 souls. He spent his childhood in NE Kansas where he could be found hunting, fishing, trapping and enjoying nature.

In high school, he was a stand-out athlete, winning the state championship in basketball and pitching a no-hitter for the Chapman, KS baseball team. Later, he attended Fort Hays State University where he played college baseball, earned an Industrial Arts degree, and most importantly met the love of his life, Trudy Elaine McCaslin.

Although he began dating Trudy in 1969, their courtship was interrupted by a draft: first by the Baltimore Orioles and then by the US Army. In the end, the government pulled rank and he served in the Vietnam war from 1970 to 1971.

While there, he earned the National Defense Service Medal, Expert M-16 Designation, M-14 Sharp Shooter Designation, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Two Overseas Bars and the Vietnam Campaign Medal for Meritorious Service while serving as a Radio TT Operator.

After his tour, he was transferred to Germany where he spent 14 months sampling German beer and playing on a German basketball team.

When he was finally discharged, he went straight back to marry Trudy on the 10th of June 1973 in another bustling metropolis, Copeland, Kansas. They settled in Montezuma, KS after their wedding and began putting the foundation in place that they would build their family and lives on.

One of the pillars of that foundation turned out to be…soup! Early in the relationship, he was sick and Trudy made him a bowl of tomato soup. Somehow in-between the making and the delivering, the tray tipped over and he ended up wearing the soup rather than eating it.

For the next half century, this would be a running Family joke because Papa sure loved his soup. In fact, his Grandchildren’s favorite joke was to ask, “Papa, what do you want for dinner?”

They then responded in their very best Papa voices, “Soup.”

“Papa, what do you want for breakfast?”

“Soup.”

“Papa, what do want for lunch?”

You can probably guess the answer.

In 1975 he was pulled over for speeding while taking Trudy to the hospital in Dodge City, KS to welcome their son, Joe. By 1979, they figured Joe needed a sister and Donella was born. The family moved to Woodbine where he worked both construction and with the Rock Island Railroad.

In 1980 they moved to Dodge City, KS where they owned and operated their own Farmers Insurance agency. During this time, he became active with a Vietnam Veteran’s organization and his church where he made many cherished lifelong friends. The family also spent a lot of time boating and camping at Meade Lake and Cedar Bluff Reservoir where he became known as “The Master of Breakfast.”

In 1990 they moved to Colorado Springs and within a few years they were thriving and loving their new life. He became a blackjack and poker dealer in Cripple Creek, CO. Toward the end of the 90s, he and Trudy moved back to Kansas so he could work in a new casino opening near Topeka. He absolutely loved dealing poker while entertaining his customers and he and Trudy had some interesting times while living there.

In 2010, Rodney’s doctors discovered a brain tumor. Although it was successfully removed, it forced him into retirement. He and Trudy spent the next several years going back and forth between Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada spending time with their children. They finally settled down and bought a home in Las Vegas, where they lived for about 12 years before following Donella and her family to North Carolina. In North Carolina, they settled into a 55 plus community where he, as usual, made a ton of new friends. He loved all the activities, especially poker nights.

His love and appreciation of the outdoors was passed down as part of his lasting legacy to his kids and grandkids alike. A lot of memories were made by the lakes and also in the mountains once the Family moved to Colorado.

Over the last several years, he fought battles with COPD, Lewy Body Dementia, and Parkinsons. The man who could do anything finally found something he couldn’t fix and passed peacefully in his home on Wednesday 27 May 2026 surrounded by his family.

He is survived by his wife, Trudy Elaine (McCaslin) Timm. His children Wm. Joe Timm and Daughter Donella (Timm) Winkler, his son-in-law, Matt Winkler. And his grandchildren Andi Timm, Scarlett Winkler and Killian Winkler.

As we lay our team captain to rest, we remember him as a Husband, Father, Grandfather, Son, Brother, Brother- in-Arms, role model and friend, who made deep connections with others, was kind, generous and had a dry and playful sense of humor.

At this time a memorial service will not be held. A future remembrance and celebration of life is to be scheduled later.

To honor Rodney Timm's legacy, the Family requests that in lieu of flowers, a small gesture of remembrance be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association. https://lbda.org/honor-your-loved-one