Eugene M. "Leonard" Rodberg

SIOUX CITY -- Eugene M. "Leonard" Rodberg, 82, of Sioux City passed away Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at his residence surrounded by his family, after a long illness.

Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at St. James United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Ryan Christenson officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation with the family present will be 6 to 8 p.m. today, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Condolences may be sent online to meyerbroschapels.com.

Eugene "Gene" was born March 13, 1927, in Mason, City, Iowa, the son of Engval and Bertha (Brunsvold) Rodberg. He attended school in Mason City, graduating in 1944. He attended a community college for a year before joining the U.S. Army. He served in World War II. After the service he worked as a private investigator before going to work at the Woodbury County Sheriff's Department in 1959. He became Chief Deputy after being there for six months and remained chief until his retirement in 1982. He then went to work for Penn Life and became a manager, retiring again in 1993.

Gene married Lucille Jennings in 1949, and from this marriage, there were three children, Sherry, Gayle and Christine. He married Edelleen (Nellist) Hindman in 1984, and gained four more children, Sandi, Sherry, Darren and Brian.

Gene was a member of St. James United Methodist Church. He was a member of Landmark Masonic Lodge, Abu Bekr Shrine Temple (Provost Marshal Division), and the V.F.W., Shull Post 580, where he was a past commander.

Gene was an avid gun collector and was number one in the state of Iowa in pistol shooting in 1977. He enjoyed watching, reading and collecting things from World Wars I and II. He was in the Underwater Recovery for the sheriff's department and was the bomb technician for the department also. Gene also enjoyed cars and had a Lotus and a Pantera, which he took to car shows. He was head of the Frosty Riders Snowmobile Club.

Survivors include his wife, Edy, of 25 years; three daughters, Sherry Wimble of Saginaw, Texas, Gayle Brunick and her husband, Randy Blackford of Jackson, Neb., and Christine Shrader and her husband, R.J. of Colorado; two stepdaughters, Sandi Laird and her husband, Mike of Manassas, Va., Sherry Hindman and her fiance, Bruce Helsing of Dallas, Texas; two stepsons, Darren Hindman and his wife, Autumn of Appleton, Wis., and Brian Hindman and his wife, Dawn of Pierre, S.D.; four grandchildren; 12 stepgrandchildren; five great-grandchildren; four great-stepgrandchildren; four sisters-in-law, Bernice Rodberg of Sun City West, Ariz., Sandy Busch and her husband, Jim of Charlotte, Iowa, Lynn Enwright of California, and Dawn Christenson of Davenport, Iowa; a brother-in-law, Ron Nellist and his wife, Michele of Tampa, Fla.; three nephews; and one niece.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Don and Stanley Rodberg; a son-in-law, Gary Brunick; and his mothers and fathers-in-law, Glenn and Eileen Phillips and Edward and Dorothy Nellist.

Memorials may be made in his name to Hospice of Siouxland or St. James United Methodist Church.

We want to thank Dr. Thomas Schryver, Dr. Jeffery Sykes and our wonderful Hospice team and volunteers; they all were a great help. We also want to thank Joe K. for all he did and all the time he spent with Gene, a real true friend.