Rod Trombley

Rod Trombley of Milford passed away Friday, September 29, 2023, surrounded by his family at the Otterbein SeniorLife Neighborhood in Loveland. He was born in Newburgh, New York, the son of Frederick and Frances (nee Szcych) Trombley. He was a member of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie (nee Koehler) sons and daughters-in-law; Tim and Katie Trombley. Kerry and Abby Trombley, Mike and Amanda Trombley, Corey Trombley, grandchildren; Cora, Olivia, Ralph, Jonah, George, Ella, and Micah Trombley, step-mother; Susan Trombley, brother Fred Trombley and half brother Erick Trombley. Along with his parents, Rod was preceded in death by his grandsons; Matt and Mark Trombley.

Rod was born in Newburgh, NY but always thought of Enfield, Connecticut as his hometown. He will go to his grave with his birthdate still a mystery to even his best of friends. This is a perfect example of how he never wanted to be the center of attention.

Rod went to Enfield High School where he played basketball and was MVP on the track team. He was voted most shy in his senior class, a well-earned honor. He always worked, starting in grade school with delivering the TV Guide in his neighborhood. He said his hardest job was working the tobacco fields near Enfield starting at age 14.

Rod earned a degree in Chemistry from LeMoyne College in Syracuse,NY where he and Bonnie met on the first day of classes freshman year. Their love story was one of a slowly developing deep friendship which finally, inevitably, led to their first date two years later. Rod and Bonnie have remained best friends through 46 years of marriage and adventures.

After earning a Masters in Management Science from Lowell University in Massachusetts, Rod and Bonnie married and moved to Connecticut where Rod worked as Plant Chemist at Scharr Industries. A year later, they moved to Rochester, NY where he began his long career with DuPont as a process engineer, worked his way through supervision, moved into technical sales, sales management, and later national accounts management. DuPont took Rod, Bonnie, and their growing family from Rochester to Peoria, IL, to Chicago, and finally to Cincinnati. Rod declined all further transfer opportunities as he prioritized stability for his boys.

Rod was a man who used his talents well, pouring himself into his projects. He was a great listener and always wanted to focus on other people, a big key to his success in both his career and his personal life.

Rod loved to provide fun and experiences for his family and friends. He was the one inventing new games. He was the one who had the funniest speeches at going away parties. He was the one making the memorable and funny videos to celebrate his friends. He was the one who created the famous Trombley Road Rally and made it an annual event for over a decade. The list goes on and on. Just know, he was the one.

Rod loved to travel and would always choose a new place to explore, travelling to all 50 US states and to over 30 other countries. He was the planner for trips with family and friends, and found such fun things to do and see. No trip was complete until the album was complete with photos, a daily itinerary, and the ever-famous ratings from 1-10 of each itinerary item by each person on the trip. Rod's rating scale was unique and definitely skewed to the positive.

Rod was a natural athlete. Beyond basketball and track, back in the day, Rod played a little football, a lot of softball, and won numerous trophies for golf and tennis. It was with tough acceptance that he relinquished his first place in family competitions to his sons.

Rod loved family history and became quite good at genealogy research. Over the years, he created family trees and uncovered family histories for over 100 of his friends.

Rod was a helper and a giver. His volunteer activities spanned from being athletic boosters president and running a booth at the Church festival, to doing disaster relief work through the Red Cross after hurricanes in Florida and floods in Iowa. After taking an early retirement from DuPont, Rod continued his Red Cross work by teaching disaster training classes. He also joined ESCC (One Source) where he volunteered on numerous projects to assist non-profit organizations with their business organization. These projects became a passion and led Rod to serve on the boards of several non-profit organizations that ranged from helping people experiencing homelessness, to helping children in the community, to helping military families. He became a mentor to help others develop leadership skills.

Rod was Coach. He officially coached his sons in five sports (basketball, baseball, cross country, football, and volleyball) on 47 teams, over 16 years. He loved running into his old players and sharing those stories. In recent years, Rod became scorekeeper for basketball teams coached by his son, Corey. The legacy continues.

Most of all, Rod was Dad. This part will be short because it encompasses all that Rod was and all that he did. His other passions paled in comparison to his passion for his family. Tim, Kerry, Mike, and Corey. That's it. It was what he lived for.

He loved the daughters that his sons added to his life and was so very happy to see their strong marriages. To the very end, Rod's face would light up when his grandchildren were in the room and he cherished his time with them.

We will all miss him very much.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00AM, Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at the St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Milford, 5890 Buckwheat Rd. Milford, Oh 45150 Family and friends may visit 6:00 to 8:00PM, Monday, October 2, 2023 at the Evans Funeral Home, 741 Center St. Milford, Ohio 45150. Memorial donations may be made to the Milford Kiwanis Club.