Rodger Kenneth Waldman

He was born to the late Raymond and Margaret Waldman on Sept. 22, 1929, in Reading, PA. In 1993, he married Shella Fahey in Yosemite National Park. They lived in San Jose before relocating to Auburn in 2000.

Rodger received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova in 1951 and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Drexel University. He was employed by General Electric for over forty years. He started out designing locomotives, and went on to work in national defense, the space program, and on nuclear power plants. Though he enjoyed the challenges of all his work, the job he spoke of most fondly was configuration control manager and communications officer for the Viking Mission to Mars. Rodger enjoyed woodworking and made many lovely things for his home and family. He loved animals, and could often be found with a cat on his lap and a dog at his feet. He and Shella spent their retirement years with family and friends, and also travelling the world, from Alaska to Hawaii, Panama to Peru, and all over Europe.

Rodger is survived by his wife of 20 years, Shella, sister Joan Rose (Frank), four children by his first marriage to Donna Babbitt: Cynthia Waldman (Robert Dewar), Lawrence Waldman, Allen Waldman (Penny), Jeanne Waldman (Iztok Marjanovitch), and two step-children: Lisa Schuessler (Jim), and Cliff Fahey (Tom Greeley). He is also survived by ten grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. A sister, Nancy Bricker (Billy), predeceased him.

The funeral will be held at St. Teresa, 11600 Atwood Rd., Auburn, CA, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014 at 11:00am. Burial will follow at the New Auburn Cemetery.