Obituary: Rodger Schock

Rodger (Rod) Allan Schock, 75, of Hood River, Ore., died in Portland on June 11, 2019, after a brief illness.

He was born in St. Helens in 1944 to Fred and Margaret (Brown) Schock. He grew up in Liberty, Ind., where he graduated from Short High School. As a Boy Scout, he earned the God and Country Award and became an Eagle Scout. He studied forestry at Purdue University before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

Rodger graduated from Linn-Benton Community College in 1971 with a degree in welding and moved to Hood River, where he worked for Nichols Boat Works. He went on to found the Schock Welding Company in Odell, which he sold in 2007. Evidence of his legacy as a builder includes a pedestrian bridge at the Port of Hood River and numerous stair and sidewalk railings in the Hood River area.

He also designed and built his home on Fir Mountain Road, where he took great pleasure in feeding and watching the birds and enjoying the deer and other animals that wandered through the property.

Rod loved to fish, especially for steelhead and salmon. A vacation with him meant digging for clams or getting out on the water to troll for salmon or to put out crab pots. He was patient with beginners, no matter how old, and especially enjoyed taking his grandchildren on fishing trips.

Among the stories he liked to tell was one about an encounter with a young deer in a stream. When he saw the animal, Rod moved slowly towards it until the deer lunged at him and knocked him down.

He was well known for his sense of humor and practical jokes. He once convinced his college roommates that a deadly infection had contaminated their apartment, leading to a call to campus officials, who did not look kindly on his prank.

Rodger gave generously of his time to community organizations such as the Boy Scouts. For the past few years, he provided rides for people to medical appointments. He loved music and sang as a member of the Riverside Community Church choir.

Rodger served on the Hood River County Commission as a commissioner from 1979 to 1986 and as chair from 2002 to 2006.

He is survived by his wife, Judith (Fields) Schock of Hood River and by his first wife, Dona (Beith) Schock of Troutdale; a daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Nathan Duckwall of Hood River; a son and daughter-in-law, Brian Schock and Kalpita Noumta of Athens, Greece; a stepson, Michael Bozzoli of Overland Park, Kansas; a sister and brother-in-law, Sandra and Nick Houtman of Corvallis; three grandchildren, Cole, Hunter and Taylor Duckwall of Hood River; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19 at the Riverside Community Church, 317 State St., Hood River. Pastor Vicky Stifter will officiate. The family asks that contributions to honor Rod be made to Faith in Action, the volunteer network of Providence Hospital; to the music program at the Riverside Community Church; or to the Hood River High School baseball team (C/O Anderson’s Tribute, Center 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031).

Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson’s Tribute Center. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.