John Rodie Hamilton, Jr., age 86, of Bryan, Ohio, passed away peacefully at Hillside Country Living on September 1, 2019, with his family by his side. John was born on March 2, 1933, in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, to John Rodie and Eleanor (Boden) Hamilton.
John married Barbara Jean Dohn on September 11, 1954, in Buffalo, New York. John was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, where he found joy singing in the choir and serving as deacon and elder. John graduated from Turtle Creek High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Physical Chemistry and Physics at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
He excelled at sports during his college career, playing basketball and pitching for the baseball team. John was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity and the highlight of his college experience was meeting his future wife, Barbara, the “sweetheart of Sigma Nu.”While serving in the United States Army, John was a member of the Chemical Corp. Intelligence Agency in Washington D.C. John then began his professional career in Buffalo, New York, as a Cryogenics Research Scientist at Linde Air Products.
He later moved to Firewell Company, where he was the National Sales Manager in its aeronautical business unit. In 1968, Firewell was acquired by The Aro Corporation, at which time John was transferred to Aro’s corporate headquarters in Bryan, Ohio, where he rose to the position of General Marketing Manager. After retiring from Aro in 1989, John founded the Rodie Company to provide safety, environmental, and consulting services for industrial companies to meet EPA and OSHA compliance standards.
Upon officially retiring in 2004, John began making heirloom wooden musical instruments, some of which are displayed at Community Hospitals and Wellness Center-Bryan. John will be remembered by many for sharing knowledge about his musical instruments and joyfully playing his alp horn. John will also be remembered for his role in introducing cross country skiing to the Bryan area in the early 1980s and regularly participating in cross country skiing and bicycling marathons.
John is survived by Barbara, his beloved wife of 65 years; daughters, Becky (John) Weaver, of Bryan, Cindy (Dr. Frank) Rawlings, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Leslie (Tom) Mowery, of Marietta, Georgia; son, John Rodie (Trish) Hamilton III, of Atlanta, Georgia; grandchildren, Lindsey Weaver, of Superior Township, Michigan, Joel (Chelsea) Weaver, of Dublin, Ohio, Aubrey Mowery, of New Town, North Dakota, Cullen Mowery, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Jacqueline Hamilton, of New York, New York; and great-granddaughters, Mavery Allen, of Superior Township, Michigan, and Emma Weaver, of Dublin, Ohio. John is also survived by his sister-in-law, Betty Ashley, of St. Petersburg, Florida; brother-in-law, Dr. Donald (Carolyn) Dohn, of Fairhope, Alabama; and numerous nieces and nephews.
John was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Jessie Hamilton, Christina (Allan and their son, Sean) Walker, and Eleanor Brown; sister-in-law, Dorothy (Bob) Farrington; and brother-in-law, Heber Ashley.
A memorial service celebrating John’s life will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, with Pastor Barry Sweet officiating on Saturday, September 21, 2019, at 11:00 A.M. Visitation will begin at 10:00 A.M., with lunch and gathering immediately following the service.
The family requests memorials to the First Presbyterian Church, 506 Oxford Drive, Bryan, OH 43506, or Community Health Professionals Hospice, 1215 South Portland Street, Bryan, OH 43506.
