Rodney Edwin Bird

Rodney Edwin “Rod” Bird, age 80, passed away peacefully on July 3, 2026 surrounded by the love of his family and after a courageous journey following a traumatic brain injury.

Rod was born on December 29, 1945 to Clarence and Mary Bird in Dover, Ohio, where they raised three sons; Rodney, David, and Brian.  During World War II, Clarence served in the Army JAG Corps. He and Mary were stationed in Oakland, California where Rod’s story began.  

After high school graduation and while working on a Bachelor’s Degree in History at The Ohio State University, Rod found time to play the organ and saxophone with a band his brother David had formed, The Royal Chessmen. A few of their “gigs” included opening for Cream, The Rascals, The Association, The Spencer Davis Group and The Left Banke.

Rod went on to complete a tour in Vietnam, where he scheduled fixed-wing aircraft flights and was honorably discharged in 1970. Regrettably, Agent Orange was sprayed around the facility quite often and after all these years later and many medical issues, Rod received a 100% Veteran Administration Disability.

US ARMY AWARDS - 

National Defense Service Medal,  Vietnam Service Medal,  Vietnam Campaign Medal,  Army Combination Medal

Rod and his wife, Kathleen DiPaola, raised five wonderful children in the Kent State University area. Rod began his educational career at St. Patrick Parochial School in Kent, Ohio. After earning a Masters Degree in Counseling at Kent State University, he served for many years as a guidance counselor at Lake Local High School in Stark County.  

Rod believed passionately about equity and fairness for his students as well as for the educators entrusted to help them thrive and grow. Always a proud product of public schools, Rod stepped up to many leadership roles and served as President of the Lake Local Teachers Association, President of East Central Ohio Education Association, and as an elected delegate to many National Education Association Representative Assemblies held around the country each year. He never hesitated and was always very proud to walk a picket line with fellow union brothers and sisters, reach out to elected officials in support of public school funding, and attend protest rallies whenever threats to collective bargaining or other injustices targeting Ohio’s public education systems.

In his final career move, Rod was an elected member of Ohio Education Association’s (OEA) Board of Directors, which ultimately lead to his employment as a Labor Relations Consultant.  His first position was in OEA’s Mentor office where he continued his advocacy for teachers in our public schools. Rod moved to Cincinnati in 2000 and first worked with local unions in the Dayton area. Transferring to the OEA Monroe office, Rod represented teachers in both the Lakota and Middletown school districts. Rod was known for his tenacity and determination to protect the rights of all public school teachers and support staff members in his unit:  negotiating contracts, processing grievances, and helping his members understand the importance of political action. He retired in 2012, the same year he married Patricia Bruns.

Rod and Pat have always loved to travel. Special wanderings included several trips to New Orleans (where we first met), California and the Southwest. The 2010 Rose Bowl Parade and his beloved Ohio State’s Rose Bowl defeat of Oregon was a very special destination indeed!  Other trips to Mexico, both Obama Inaugurations, a mule ride into the Grand Canyon for an overnight stay and trips to France and Italy proved to be big adventures.

In 2015, Rod found his dream vacation spot at Oceanwalk Villas on Hilton Head Island.  Spending several months in the fall and early spring soon became their routine. They loved exploring all aspects of the island from the food to the culture, the many bikes rides on the beach and playing golf. Always a very generous and patient teacher, the fact that he had been able to teach Pat how to play golf was quite remarkable, considering how hyperactive she knows she can be!

Not surprisingly, Rod also served several terms on Oceanwalk’s Condo Association Board.

Over the years, Rod and Pat have enjoyed such good times with their beach buddies and have so collected many wonderful memories; especially when family and friends came to visit.

Sadly, their journey took a tragic turn on May 2, 2025 when Rod fell, suffering a catastrophic traumatic brain injury and broken neck. Rod spent a month at UC Health’s ICU, another month at Encompass Rehabilitation Center, three months at Bayley Rehabilitation recovering from more than a few infections and surgery to replace the part of his skull that had been removed May 3, 2025. Rod was moved to Brookside Healthcare Center in October, 2025 and passed from this earth on July 3, 2026.

In the end, Rod’s last months and days were marked with his familiar dogged determination to continue to fight on. He was often fatigued, unable to sustain a movement or thought, but he would always try until his brain had to shut down and rest for a while. When Pat would encourage him to try to use his voice, which he only could do once in a while, she would say, ‘Don't you want to be able to tell me to shut up at least once in a while?!’ When he was concerned about where his keys were, she reminded him that he ‘never knew where his keys were and that she knows where everything is!’ He would just smirk and roll his eyes because he knew she was right!

All those who visited, the residents, and the staff, who cared for him with such grace, loved to see those glimmers of his former self; his occasional smile, a little roll of his eyes, a thank you when staff completed a necessary task. As an example, in May, 2026, Pat was in Hilton Head getting the condo ready for summer guests. A staff member at Brookside Healthcare knew Pat was nervous about being out of town. She sent Pat photos of Rod sitting in the lobby and attending a Bingo with residents. At one point, he blurted out “Bingo, dammit, Bingo!”.  At another point, when someone asked where his wife was, he blurted out as clear as a bell, “I don’t know where in the hell she is, she’s probably out of town!” When they put him on the elevator to take him back upstairs, he told the staff member, “Let’s do this again”. The staff member’s text ended relaying that 'Rod was just delightful all afternoon and charmed everybody’. Just one of many moments of gratitude that warmed Pat’s heart.

Rod and Pat will be forever grateful for the truly remarkable caregivers at the Cincinnati Veterans Medical Center, UC Health, Encompass Rehabilitation Center, Bayley Rehabilitation Center, and Brookside Healthcare Center. Rod, Pat and the entire Bird family have been truly blessed to have been surrounded by so much love and support throughout this difficult journey from our wonderful caregivers, family, dear friends old and new, and their extended OEA family. Thanks will never be expressed enough. No one will ever be forgotten.

Suggested donations can be made in Rodney E. Bird’s name at: Disabled Veterans of America (DAV) - Click Here to Donate or Ohio Education Association - Click Here to Donate.