Derek William Rodriguez

He is survived by his wife Tara and their two children, Jaxon and Hudson; his mother Sharon Rodriguez (Mark Robbins) of Henderson, NV; sister Dana Waltman (Ryan) of Apple Valley, CA; parents-in-law Rick and Linda Levy of Henderson, NV; sister-in-law Tia Blackburn; and nieces and nephew Kelsey Blackburn, Kylie Packer, Sharyn Waltman and Billy Waltman. He was preceded in death by his father, Bill Rodriguez; and grandparents John Mayo, Joyce Mayo, Sal Rodriguez and Rosie Rodriguez.

Derek was born in Apple Valley, CA, and moved to the Las Vegas Valley when he was 10. He attended Bishop Gorman High School, Community College of Southern Nevada and the University of Arizona, returning home to finish his senior year at UNLV. He loved athletics, above all baseball, and earned college scholarships to pursue his dream. While he was at Arizona, the team played in the College World Series. Drafted as a pitcher by the Chicago White Sox in 2005, he worked his way up to the Triple A Charlotte Knights. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 Rule 5 Draft before returning to Charlotte, where both elbow and shoulder injuries forced him to leave the game behind.

Derek then found his passion in health care, earning his MSN, RN from Chamberlain University. He began his career with Mountain View Hospital in 2021 as an oncology nurse, becoming Nursing Manager in 2024. He provided comfort and laughter to his patients, and especially loved listening to their stories about life, business and family.

Most important to Derek was his own family; he could light up a room talking about them. His favorite pastime was being with Tara and the boys; it didn’t matter where they were or what they were doing. The boys called him “the best daddy and their real life superhero.” He shared with them his love of classic and exotic cars, taking the family to car shows around the valley. Since he was a young boy he had imagined owning a classic truck, and that dream came true when he brought home a 1959 Chevy Apache, in which he excitedly took his boys driving. He was an outdoor enthusiast, spending time at the beach and in the mountains to fish and enjoy four-wheel adventures.

Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at St. Viator Catholic Community Church, 2461 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89121. A celebration of life will immediately follow in the Parish Center. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in the name of Hudson Rodriguez to the St. Viator Micah 6:8 Program.