Alex J. Rohr, age 100, entered into eternal rest on Saturday, March 29, 2014 at his daughter's home in Trumbull, CT where he had lived for the past five years. He was the oldest son of John and Anna (Riedel) Rohr and was born on March 4, 1914 in Munjor, Kansas. He was predeceased by his wife of 57 years Virginia Staab Rohr and by his brothers Isidore, Ignatius and Gene and by his sisters Albina Rohr Befort, Marcella Rohr Ruder and Bernita Rohr Engel all of Hays, KS. Alex is survived by his son Ken J. Rohr and daughter-in-law Darlene of Orangevale, CA and by his daughter Melanie Rohr McNamara and son-in-law Jim of Trumbull, CT; his brother Julius Rohr and sister-in-law Lillian, sisters-in-law Kathy Rohr and Clara Rohr, brother-in-law Ralph Engel all of Hays, KS and by a very special friend Genevieve Keyser of San Diego, CA. Also mourning his loss are his cherished grandchildren: Michael McNamara and wife Sara of Chevy Chase, MD; Laura McNamara Cabo and husband Armando of Somers, NY; Kevin McNamara and wife Amy of Mount Laurel, NJ; and Meghan McNamara Rogers and husband Christopher of Vienna, VA.
Especially dear to Alex were his fourteen great-grandchildren: Caitlin, Ellie, Lindsay and Ryan McNamara of MD; Alex, Samantha, Sean and Allison Cabo of NY; Luke, Kylie and Kelsey McNamara of NJ; and Scarlet, Lily and Vivian of VA. He is also survived by dozen of nieces and nephews and their families.
Raised on a wheat farm in Kansas during the Depression, Alex moved to San Diego in 1941 with his young family to work in aircraft manufacturing at Consolidated Vultee Aircraft, later known as Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation, and from which he retired in 1979 as a tooling designer. During his long career he worked on many kinds of aircraft from fighter planes during WWII and Korea to commercial jet airlines to Atlas missiles and space projects. An active member of the Knights of Columbus for 76 years, Alex served in many official capacities to foster the fraternal and charitable activities of the K of C. a commendation from the K of C honoring his service was presented to him on his 100th birthday on March 4, 2014 by Carl Anderson, Grand Knight. Sports and gardening were important parts of Alex's life. He watched the San Diego Chargers and San Diego Padres every game. He loved bowling and competed in the same men's bowling league for over 50 years. He took up golf after he retired and spent many joyful hours on the golf courses of San Diego and elsewhere. He especially enjoyed playing with his grandsons who learned more than golf from these times together. As for his love of gardening, his rose gardens and bromeliad collections brought joy and pleasure to many and filled his days with beauty. A long and loving marriage, love of family, loyalty to friends, and service to others defined a life well lived. We who loved Alex are better because he was in our lives. Rest in peace dear husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, friend, co-worker, neighbor and mentor.
The funeral will be in San Diego later in the week. Anyone wishing to honor Alex could send a donation to AmeriCares, 86 Hamilton Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902, in his name. The family wishes to thank the staff of St. Joseph's Adult Day Care for their love and care for the past five years and to the hospice staff of VITAS for their gracious care in Alex's final days. To send online condolences, please visit www.redgatehennessy.com