Ruben Dario Rodriguez Jr.

Ruben Dario Rodriguez, Jr. born on January 31, 1948, passed away on September 21 after being diagnosed with stage 4 CLL in the spring of 2003. Ruben was 75. He was predeceased by his beloved Mother, Myriam, and father, Ruben Dario Rodriguez, Sr. Ruben lived his first eight years in the Bronx, New York. He was nicknamed “Buddy” during his brief years on Caldwell Avenue because he was a friend to all who encountered his dark, curly locks, handsome smile, friendly, outgoing nature and can-do attitude. To ensure a “path breaker” was in their midst, Buddy’s parents sent him off from the Bronx to Chester, South Carolina to be raised by his maternal Aunt Gloria and Uncle Marvin Jackson alongside his cousin, Marvin, Jr., alias “Butchie”, where he excelled in school, participated in fencing classes and tap dance and spent happy hours helping his Uncle Marvin and Butchie milking cows, cleaning barn stalls and building a “swamp boat” for their recreational use on the Catawba River, but only after serving as an altar boy at the Chester Catholic Church. Ruben always recalled his “Chester family life” fondly and credited his Aunt Gloria for her stern, but loving mannerisms. Ruben enjoyed his new family and life in the country, but at 15, returned to the Bronx and promoted quickly to the next higher grade, while again living with his proud Mother and younger sister, Gloria Brunhilda Rodriguez, where Mom Myriam worked three jobs to maintain their standard of living. Shortly thereafter, Ruben convinced his father to approve his military service as the Viet Nam surged. At the time, he earned his GED and quickly demonstrated his knack for undercover surveillance and electronics in the U.S. Army’s special forces, where he earned a bronze star alongside his newfound best buds who were, unfortunately, all killed in the line of duty in a helicopter accident. After recovering, he returned to the Bronx, to rejoin his wife Alicia and together they had a daughter, Deborah and a son, David. Ruben soon thereafter relocated to Washington, D.C., alone, where he became a police officer with a promotion to Detective. Ultimately, Ruben was assigned to support the FBI doing impressive undercover drug investigations in between Chinatown, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong and Shanghai over the next five years that included highly praised convictions. At retirement, three days into it, he was approached by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which lasted three years longer than the metropolitan police department and, once again, successful researching albeit pedophiles and the lost, but often sexually exploited children. Over the next 23-years, this little boy from the Bronx would secure a college education and make a difference in the world by implementing two renown programs: the child unit that initiated a communication system with the FBI for missing children and a multi-million dollar Microsoft international law enforcement training program for organized police agencies such as Interpol and Scotland Yard. Ruben leaves behind the love of his life, wife Mary, his cherished son David Lawrence (Lilly) Rodriguez of Orlando Florida and his beloved daughter Deborah Lee (Joe) Roldan of Houston, Texas; a sister Gloria Brunhilda Murray of Arvada, Colorado; stepchildren Christine Michelle (Stephen) Chavez of Folsom, California and Charles Christopher Grant Peterson of Jackson, Michigan and cherished stepgrandsons Jake Matthew Chavez and Christian Mark Chavez both of Folsom and his much respected cousin/bro Marvin (Stacey) Jackson, Jr. aka “Butchie” of Summerville, South Carolina; two grandchildren Michael Rodriguez and Meagan Rodriguez (Douglas) Hollandsworth both of Orlando, Florida, a great grandson Jaxon Hollandsworth, great granddaughter Adelynn Rae Hollandsworth, a great nephew Matthew Murray, Ph.D., nieces and nephews Derek Murray, Kyla (Stan) Miller of Orlando and Amanda (Casey) Becker of Arvada, Colorado as well as several additional great nieces and distant cousins including his precious “Aunt” Mrs. William (Marie) Wilson of Woodbridge, Virginia. Ruben’s Celebration of Life will be hosted on Saturday, October 28 at 2:00 o’clock p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in Winchester, Virginia. Ruben has been cremated and asked that Mary maintain his ashes to be buried at her side, when the time comes. Ruben suggested donations in his memory be made to the humane society.