September 28 1928 October 24 2019
Walter Gene Rockwood September 28, 1928 – October 24, 2019 Share this obituary Send Sympathy Gifts Sign Guestbook| View Guestbook Entries| Memorial Donation Windsor, VT. In the early morning of October 24, 2019, Walter Gene Rockwood, 91, of Hartland and Chelsea, Vermont, joined the pre-deceased loves of his life, Beverly Alyce (Kenyon) Rockwood (1930-1999) to whom he was married for 50 years and Jean Peterson (1933-2013) with whom he spent 13 years. His passing was quiet and comfortable at the Jack Bryne Center in Lebanon, NH, having been surrounded by his family. Walter (aka Rocky, Walt) was born on September 28, 1928 on the Bowers homestead in Hartland. He grew up in Hartland on the family dairy farm and graduated from Windsor High School in 1945, where he courted Beverly. At the end of WW2, he served briefly in the U.S. Navy. Walter and Beverly were married on September 11, 1948 and he attended and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1950 with a degree in agriculture. He began his long and interesting life in Swanton, followed by residence in St. Albans and Georgia Plains as the Franklin County (dairy) Agent. During this time, he also served in the National Guard and rose to command an armored company in Swanton. In 1963 he, along with Beverly and their four children aged between 3 and 11, began his “journey” in the foreign service with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Togo, then in Guinea and Morocco until 1968. After earning his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Communications at the University of Illinois in 1970 he worked at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria for several years, a year in Iran working for the United Nations, followed by many years at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. His final years in Africa were in the Cote D’Ivoire as part of the Food for Peace program, but he worked part time with IRRI remotely until around 1998. He retired in 1988 and settled on Redrock Farm in Chelsea where he established a choose and cut Christmas tree farm. He was active in the Vermont-New Hampshire Christmas Tree Association, the Vermont Senior Guard, alumni associations from IITA and IRRI and the Chelsea community. Late in life he lived briefly in Hartland and has been residing at the Historic Homes of Runnemede in Windsor for five years. Walter was predeceased by father Floyd Rockwood and his mother Julia (Bowers) Rockwood, his sister Greta (Rockwood) Somerville and brother Gordon Rockwood. He is survived by his son Richard and wife Stephanie Rockwood of Chelsea, son Timothy and wife Codie Rockwood of Hartland, daughter Pamela and husband Andrew Russell of Old Lyme, Connecticut, and son William and wife Cynthia Rockwood of Grand Junction, Colorado, eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. We request that donations in his memory be made to one of the following organizations: The Chelsea Area Senior Center, 13 Church ST, Chelsea, VT; The Asia Rice Foundation, Inc., 82 Ashlar Village DR, Wallingford, CT 06492; or the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care, 154 Hitchcock Loop RD, Lebanon, NH 03756. A gathering to Celebrate Walter’s will be held at Knight Funeral Home in Windsor, VT on November 23 from 1:00 to 2:00 with a short prayer service at 2:00PM. A further celebration of Walter’s life will be scheduled at a later time at Redrock Farm in Chelsea, VT. Condolences may be expressed to his family in an online guestbook at www.knightfuneralhomes.com The Knight Funeral Home in Windsor, VT has been entrusted with arrangements. SERVICES Visitation Saturday, November 23, 2019 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Knight Funeral Home – Windsor 65 Ascutney St Windsor, Vermont 05089 Get Directions on Google Maps A Celebration of Life Saturday, November 23, 2019 2:00 PM Knight Funeral Home – Windsor 65 Ascutney St Windsor, Vermont 05089 Get Directions on Google Maps Print Obituary Sign Guestbook Name: Location: Video: Image: Light A Candle Candle 1 Candle 2 Candle 3 Candle 4 Email: Please keep my message private Personal Message: Personal Message (required) Confirm: Submit Guestbook entry
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Walter Gene Rockwood September 28 1928 October 24 2019.
Knight Funeral Home & Crematory
Death notice for the town of: White River Junction, state: Vermont