Charles Dyson Rodenbough

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2022 at Fellowship Presbyterian Church where he was a member for the past fifteen years.

Charlie is survived by his wife of 67 years, Jeannette Green Rodenbough. Together they raised their family in Madison, NC before moving to Greensboro after their retirement.

Charlie was born in White Plains NY on April 19th, 1932 to parents Stanley Leigh Rodenbough Jr. and Katherine Boone, both of Pennsylvania. He graduated from RJ Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem and received his B. A. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1954, he enlisted in the US Air Force. As newlyweds in the military, Charlie and Jean they began their life together stationed in Bremerhaven, West Germany. Charlie served 3 years in the Security Service with top secret clearance. This was a special time for the young couple living on their own. They traveled throughout Europe and made many lifetime friendships. Charlie expanded his historical research while there and they spent hours collecting antiques. Following his beloved brother Leigh’s path, Charlie and Jean set up residence in Madison in 1959, where Charlie opened a real estate and appraisal business. As their family grew, he next took a management position with Burlington Madison Yarn Co. In 1984, Charlie left the textile industry and he became a co-owner of Travel Agents International franchises in Greensboro and High Point. From 1994 until his retirement in 2004, he worked as an independent travel and tourism consultant, traveling to Russia often on various humanitarian work projects.

Once “retired”, Charlie concentrated on furthering his genealogical and historical research, culminating in the completion of numerous blogs, short stories, and the publication of over 16 historical novels, studies, and biographies. His love of research kept him sharp and active until the very end. As a lifelong historian, Charlie was most happy when debating, lecturing, and sharing his historical knowledge, while always inviting discussion of new social, philosophical, and faith-based concepts. In recent years, he was most curious with his historical research into racial and cultural conditions. He relished seeing his grandchildren grow up, and through them he saw positive social changes and a lovely awareness of the beauty of diversity in our world.

Charlie was driven by faith to devote countless hours of research towards the preservation of the Madison Presbyterian Church, where he was an elder and teacher. In Madison, he served the community in numerous civic organizations, including the creation of the 1968 Madison Sesquicentennial Celebration. He was a director and past president of the Rockingham County Historical Society and oversaw the restoration of Wright Tavern in Wentworth. He was a board member and past president of the Madison Historic Properties Commission, overseeing the Scales Law Office restoration. He established two historical districts with the listing of properties on the National Register during his work on the Madison Historic District Commission. He served on the Rockingham County Fine Arts Council, the US Bicentennial Commission for Rockingham County, and was involved in establishing the Special Collection Room through his work on the Rockingham Community College Foundation. He was a board member of the Historic Preservation Foundation of NC from 1978-1985.

Charlie is survived by what he said were his greatest achievements, his four children: Kit, Dyson, John (Danielle Ray), and Lucy (Jim Hoyle); by his eight cherished grandchildren: Lacon Vail (Roxanne Tave), Natalie Vail Bisplinghoff (Ryan), Charles Vail (Elizabeth), Drew Cannon (Beata), Ethan Rodenbough, Ryan Ray, Emma Hoyle (Austin Burns), and Maggie Hoyle; and by three great grandchildren; Breckinridge, Juliette, and Kemp Bisplinghoff, with a fourth who is due in January, Axel Vail. Additionally, he is survived by the children of his beloved brother Leigh: nephews Bo Rodenbough (Melanie), Chis Rodenbough (Rhonda), Bob Rodenbough (Catherine,) and niece Mary Rodenbough Kirkpatrick (James).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Charlie’s honor, to the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County. https://www.themarconline.org/donate.html

For those interested in his work and publications: https://charlesrodenbough.wordpress.com