David J. Rood

David graduated from Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Il with a BA degree in European History. David was elected and inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, a prestigious, international academic honor society. He continued his education and received a Master of Arts Degree from Northwestern University, Evanston, Il. where he was a finalist for a distinguished Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.

After David was honorably discharged from the Army, he worked for several years as a claims manager at insurance companies in the Chicago suburbs. In the early 1980s, he visited his sister and brother-in-law in Baton Rouge, LA and decided to re-locate to Louisiana. First, he worked as a civilian Tech Sergeant handling insurance claims for Air Force personnel at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, LA. Then, David continued his career managing workers compensation cases for the State of Louisiana. When he retired, David proctored professional exams for physicians and lawyers.

An intellectual giant, David was a prolific reader who believed that our historical footprint guided our cultural and political direction. He listened intently to other viewpoints on esoteric subjects; then, eloquently expressed his own opinion. An outstanding writer with a creative heart, David had planned to continue his professional career as a freelance writer, in the Chicago area.

His true passion, though, was for model railroading. He developed this keen interest in railroading as a child when his Dad would take him on steam engine rail excursions. In adulthood, David always had his beloved train room where he spent many relaxing hours working on his huge layout of Lionel trains that would travel through tunnels and mountainous settings greeting residents from a variety of villages – all created and constructed by David! It was a spectacular display and David always invited guests to take a ride on his trains!

Additionally, since his high school days, David was addicted to playing golf. On many a day, during summer vacations, David would play 36 holes of golf and spend hours improving his game on the driving range where he could easily drive a golf ball over 300 yards!

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Agnes (Jerz) Rood, one brother, Charles H. Rood, Jr., and his brother-in-law and good friend, Dr. Richard D. Varjian. David is survived by his wife, Mary Collins Rood of Shreveport, sister, Phyllis (Rood) Varjian of Lake Forest, Il., as well as first cousins: James Jerz of Glen Ellyn, Il, Janet Deringer of Newport Beach, CA and John Jerz, McHenry, Il.

He will be interred privately in the mausoleum at Hill Crest Memorial Park in Haughton, LA A private celebration of David’s life will be held in Lake Forest, Il at a later date.