Alfred Clark Rodriguez

Alfred Clark Rodriguez was born Saturday, October 11th, 1952, to Alfred Escobedo Rodriguez and Joanna Rodriguez at Fort Hood, Texas. He passed away in his home at the age of 69 from what were deemed natural causes.

"Freddy," as he was known to his friends and family, spent three years of his youth in Germany, where his father was stationed in the US Army; this was an exciting time for him that he would tell stories about for the rest of his life. While attending grade school in Copperas Cove, TX, Freddy excelled at sports and fostered long-lived friendships. After graduating from Copperas Cove High, he became a journeyman electrician and spent 40 plus years in the trade traveling the states to meet the demands of his job. He held memberships with the IBEW and Moose lodge. He was married in the mid-seventies for two years to Deborah Yoho. All that time, he maintained relationships he had fostered over decades, even checking on his friends' parents. He would visit and talk on the phone, sometimes for hours, and was well-known for details he would cite in the stories of his travels.

He also exhibited the most meticulous attention to the order in his living and appearance. "Squared away" was an apt description of his wardrobe and his quarters wherever he went. He was a sportsman and an avid health enthusiast, making himself a regular at his local gym. Everywhere he went, he formed bonds with people without the aid of the internet. He became a walking social network by sharing stories of his life and travels with others. He could have a temper, was known not to have a filter, and had a "low tolerance for BS"; this contributed all the more to the genuine nature of the relations he kept. Leading up to caring for his father in his final years, he bought a house in Bastrop, TX, where he felt an old Austin vibe. After his father's death, he dealt with some health issues but still kept a vast enthusiasm for friends, travel, and workouts.

He was preceded in death by his loving parents Alfred Escobedo Rodriguez March 14th, 2016 & Joanna Blanche Campbell of Prairie City, IL, on June 30th, 2001; his youngest brother, Thomas Edward Rodriguez, on April 2nd, 2010. He is survived by his sister, Andrea Petermann and her husband, Jerry Wayne Petermann of Pflugerville; his brother Joseph Michael Rodriguez of Austin; his niece Kathryn Nicole Campbell and her husband Daniel Matthew Campbell of Norwood, PA; a grand-nephew, Noah Tucker Campbell, also of Norwood, PA; a nephew, Jerrold Clark Petermann and his wife, Michelle Minor Petermann of Pflugerville; and a host of loving family and friends.

All will sorely miss him. The shock of his surprising death gives one pause to consider how the relationships we build can also build us.