Raoul "Roy" John Rodriques

At the age of 98, Roy passed in his sleep in Dunedin, FL. In 1950 Dad married Pilar Molina, a beautiful woman with a Coloratura  soprano voice, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. They had seven children and at her passing from COVID 19 in March of 2020, they had been married for 75 years.

We used to joke that Dad had at least 15 lives. He overcame many tragedies, health crisis, and the serious injury of his son Norman. 

Dad worked hard at everything he did, be it fitness, teaching shop at Amity High School, achieving his Masters’ Degree in his thirties, owning, and operating the first taxicab business in town, being the Director of Southington Adult Education, collecting the tithes at St. Aloysius Church, raising seven children, and helping with his beloved grand and great-grandchildren.

Dad was a dreamer, an innovator, and a “doer.”  He was an exercise maniac, running and stretching right up to two months before his passing. He was often seen on the Walking Trail or jogging up West Center Street behind his brake- assisted walker in Southington. He was a prolific storyteller and could easily pull a story out of his hat in about two seconds. He could regale you with stories from his childhood, living and working on the family farm, and the life altering injury to his tibia while fighting the Nazi soldiers in the U.S. Army during WWII. As a decorated US Army Staff Sargent, Dad was part of The Greatest Generation and was awarded both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor. He would often say “The greatest achievement of my life was the two liters of blood I gave for my country.”  He was an inspiration to many people, old and young due to his persistence, compassion, and generosity. He did not like to witness people suffering. Dad was an avid learner and reader. Keeping track of the UCONN Huskies was the highlight of his week, as well as playing pickleball with his friend Mary, and going to Sunday dinners at Norman and Nancy’s home.

Dad was a nationally acclaimed high school Track and Field coach, especially for his expertise in the discus and the Pole Vault. His athletes held numerous State of Connecticut Track and Field records, especially in the Pole Vault. In 1974 Roy was selected as one of eight U.S. coaches to train a group of future track and field Olympians. They competed against the Russians at a time when there was still a Cold War.

When Dad was in his seventies, he decided to take up competitive running. He soon became a Gold Medalist (winning over 130 medals in running, jumping, and throwing events) in the Senior Olympics/Nutmeg Games. He competed across the country in the long jump, low jump, and running in all three sprint events. Pop was resilient. He just kept on running, moving, and jumping even after suffering from a stroke and a heart attack. After his heart attack in church, as he sat in the Church pew, the priest was about to administer “Last Rites”. He suddenly opened his eyes, popped two aspirins that he carried with him and the heart attack subsided.   When the paramedics arrived at the church he asked if he could walk to the ambulance and sit in the front seat.  Can’t make this up!

Often, he just plain old shocked the people he encountered on his path with his tenacity, spunk, and infectious laugh. Dad was fortunate to travel to Clearwater, FL to escape the cold CT winters and live with his daughter Dee for four months. Last year at the age of 97 he was still riding a women’s mountain bike around the neighborhood in Clearwater.  This, of course, was in the late afternoons after his morning jogs.

Pop just rolled with things, kept a positive attitude, hopeful outlook, and belief in the power of love and friendship.  He loved playing the daily lotto games which he spent time daily to meticulously calculate his “scientific” formula of the numbers he would play. When he won, he gave the money away. 

Pop made a huge impact on our lives. He had the strength of a mountain, the majesty of a tree, the generous soul of nature, the wisdom of the ages, and the power of the Eagles flight.  We will cherish you and your legacy for all the years to come. Your love and legacy will always be in our hearts. We are forever grateful for the kind and compassionate care he received in his final years by his caregivers, Dominique and Sara. We often said that these two women deserved “combat pay.”

Leaving to mourn him with heavy hearts are his daughter Pilar Hughes and her son Robert), Roy Rodriques (Patty), Roberto Rodriques (Jacqueline), Norman Rodriques  (Nancy) and his children , Alyssa, Evan (Chrissy), Jake Rodriques, Dee Rodriques (Grand dog Brian), Antonio Rodriques (Dawn) and his children Kaitlyn, Jesse (Victoria) and Alex, Virginia and her children Delana, Keegan, and Ethan, as well as several great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. He was predeceased by his parents Fortunato and Josephine, siblings Luisa, Babes, Sunny, and Francis.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roy’s memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road Suite 300
Jacksonville, FL 32256 (Wounded Warrior Project - Donate).

Friends and family may visit on Thursday, December 29^th from 4:00-7:00 P.M. at the Plantsville Memorial Funeral Home, 975 South Main Street, Plantsville, CT. Funeral services will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 30^th from the Plantsville Memorial Funeral Home with a homegoing Mass at St. Aloysius Church at 10:00 a.m. Burial with Military Honors will follow in the State Veteran's Cemetery in Middletown. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.plantsvillefuneralhome.com.