Major Rodney C. Widner was a proud member of the U.S. Air Force for 20 years. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam during the war, and his other postings included England, Germany, Turkey, Hawaii, Ohio and Utah. After retiring from the military, he continued his service to the nation's defense working as an engineer on the ICBM team for TRW (later Northrop Grumman) for another 24 years. He was diagnosed with ALS in October 2008, and lost his battle with the disease 1 year later. He was deeply loved by his wife of 42 years Karlene, his 3 children Rick, Kirsten and Kari and his 6 grandchildren.