RUTKOWSKI, Roger Eugene 1937 - 2017

RUTKOWSKI, GILLEY, HOLM

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 12/19/2017 at 13:06:22

Roger Eugene Rutkowski, 80 of Mason City, died Saturday, March 11, 2017, at Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

A memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 25, 2017, at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd St. NE, Mason City, with Rev. Janell Norton officiating. Inurnment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Family suggests memorial contributions to the Roger Rutkowski Memorial Fund.

Roger was born January 4, 1937, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rutkowski in Des Moines. He married Marie Gilley in 1964. She preceded him in death on February 12, 1988, due to cancer. He later married Barbara Holm in April 2010.

A graduate of Meservey High School, he entered the United States Army in February 1956. His career in the Army consisted of working with guided missiles and aviation equipment. He was honorably discharged in October 1963. He then worked for Video Design, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA. After suffering an electrical accident, he was hospitalized for 139 days. For the rest of his life he was on dependent on crutches and a cane in order to be mobile. In later years, he was wheelchair bound before becoming bedfast in 2016.

After Video Design, Inc. Roger became an ordained minister of the Church of Christ in 1964 and started his first full-time position in ministry at the Church of Christ in Toddville, IA. While there, he was sponsored by the church to do radio ministry for a Cedar Rapids radio station. After serving Toddville, he moved to Bell Gardens Church of Christ in California and also ministered to prisoners.

Before becoming a car salesman in Des Moines for ten years, Roger worked as an electronic engineer dealing primarily with computers. He moved to Northwood in May 1996 and later moved to Mason City with Barbara.

Roger is survived by his wife, Barbara Rutkowski of Mason City and her family.

He was preceded in death by his parents.