Rodrigo Fernando Armas

Rodrigo Fernando Armas, age 45, died June 28, 2009 in a tragic accident. He was hit by a car while cycling with his son Christian on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Rod was born Jan. 8, 1964 in Los Angeles two years after his parents emigrated from Ecuador. He served in the Marine Corps Reserve for 6 years. He also received his bachelor’s degree in biology and studied for a master’s degree in computer systems. Rod married Shelley, the love of his life on June 2, 1990.

Rod was profoundly devoted to his family and cared deeply for all people, especially the underdog. He lived part of his childhood in Ecuador and held a big heart for his Ecuadorean family and anything Latin and/or Ecuadorean throughout his life. He spent 23 years working with delinquent boys as a counselor and then as an Los Angeles County probation officer. He became a father figure to hundreds of those boys at some of the most pivotal times in their lives. He had a strong faith.

He was known by friends as a very wise man who gave good advice and was always willing to go the extra mile for people often at a great expense to himself. He had a saying and a song for everything. He was a fan of a great bargain and a faithful patron of Costco. He was known as a dare devil, a music aficionado, a camper, lover of nature, cyclist, skier, snow boarder, dirt biker and enjoyed many other activities that built warmth and relationships among family and friends. He believed in living life fully and often said, when he was just about to do something crazy, “you only live one.”

Rod is survived by his wife Shelley, his son Christian, his two daughters Gaby and Michelle, his two sisters Maureen and Anni and by many loved one in the United States and in Ecuador. He is preceded in death by his mother Judith Eugenia Armas.

A funeral service will be held at Country Oaks Baptist Church in Tehachapi at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7. Flower arrangements are being handled through Tehachapi Flower Shop or in lieu of flowers a 529 College fund is being set up for Rod’s children through Union Bank of California. Checks made payable to “529 College Plan for the benefit of Christian C. Armas.” Mail to: Union Bank of California, 6004 Paseo Delicias, P.O. Box B, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. 92067 Attn: James Kenison. Wood Family Funeral Service, Inc. is handling the arrangements. Interment will be at a later date at the Bakersfield National Cemetery.
(taken from tehachapinews.com)