William Rohde Obituary

William (Bill) Rohde passed away Thursday evening at Granger Nursing and Rehab, where he had been a resident since 2017. He was 93 years old. A visitation will be held Tuesday, January 18 at 10:00, followed by the funeral and burial at 11:00. Services will be at Westover Funeral Home on Hickman in Des Moines.

Bill was born on May 2, 1928 in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was the only child of William and Dot Rohde, and the three of them were very close. He graduated from Marshalltown High School and Marshalltown Junior College. Growing up he had an intense interest in the technical aspects of radio, so after graduating he moved to New York to attend a school specializing in the new technology of television. He lived at the Central Park YMCA and loved every minute of his time in the city. Following his graduation, he joined the Air Force and was stationed in Biloxi Mississippi for two years. He then got his first job as a television engineer for WGBH in Rock Island, Illinois. The big move of his life came in 1955 when he took a job as an engineer at KRNT-TV8 in Des Moines. The station had not gone on the air yet, and he and the other engineers (all who became lifelong friends of his) were tasked with getting things up and running. He retired from Channel 8 (known as KCCI by then) in 1993.

Bill had many hobbies throughout his life, including, model railroading, building dollhouses, wood working, and photography. He loved music, especially big band jazz. He was fascinated by airplanes and made many trips to air museums around the country. He loved his family and friends and sharing food and drinks with them.

He is survived by his daughters Jerri Rohde Dahlman and Valerie Rohde. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Shirley Vanderwert Rohde, and his daughter Charl Rohde.

The family would like to thank the staff of Granger Nursing and Rehab for taking such good care of Bill in the last years of his life. He loved them all dearly.

Memorial contributions can be made to AHeinz57 Pet Rescue of DeSoto, Iowa.

ARRANGEMENTS BY ILES WESTOVER CHAPEL

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