Rodney Lee Yoder, age 87, of California, MD, died at his home on Monday, August 17, 2009, following a long battle with congestive heart failure and diabetes.

The son of a coal miner, he was born in Crooksville, OH, to Daniel and Katie (Poland) Yoder. He was the third of six children: Mary Francis Yoder (deceased), Ilber Ellis Yoder (deceased), Donna Lucile (Yoder) Morrison, Daniel Yoder Jr., and Barbara Ann (Yoder) Longmore. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret (Jaynes) Yoder.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Force as flight engineer from 1941 to his honorable discharge at the end of the war. He worked with the Crooksville China Company, the New York Central Railroad, and the Ohio Power Company before returning to active duty in the United States Air Force in 1951. He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1970 at the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, and worked with the St. Mary's County Board of Education Maintenance Department. He retired from the Maintenance Department in 1985.

He is survived by his children, Dana (Jess) Davis, Rose Marie (Charles) Beitzell, Bob Martin, Dean (Peggy) Martin, and a near-as daughter, Mary Springstead. He has thirteen grandchildren and a passel of great-grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly.

Visitation will be Thursday, August 20, 2009 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Brinsfield Funeral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. A graveside service will be held on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown, MD.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of St. Mary's, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.