Obituary of Kathleen D. Rood

Kathleen D. (Truax) Rood passed peacefully September 23, 2020 at Keuka Comfort Care Home in Penn Yan after a short battle with cancer. Kathy's immediate family held a garden remembrance gathering reminiscing on their many memories of their Mom and Grandmom. Since the Bellona Presbyterian Church is temporarily closed due to COVID-19, no calling hours or funeral will be held at this time. A Celebration of Kathleen's Life is tentatively scheduled for Sunday July 18 th in Kathy's Grace Gardens during peak bloom season. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Keuka Comfort Care Home, PO Box 107, Penn Yan. Kathleen was born February 22, 1944 in Oneonta, NY. She was an avid reader at an early age and could be seen regularly hauling arm loads of books from the local library. She was active in the girl scouts reaching the rank of Curved Bar- equivalent to the Eagle for Boy Scouts. She became a licensed amateur radio operator (K2VCX) hoping to attract the attention of another amateur radio operator, Thomas Rood (now K2VC) who became her husband for nearly 60 years. In 1972, they built their current home in Benton. Kathy was a Master Gardener and loved her flowers. Kathy was a skilled Black Ash Shaker style basket maker and an exceptional water colorist specializing in painting flowers. She was a member of the Yates Co. Arts Center and Penn Yan Art Guild. She held various positions in the Bellona Presbyterian Church and had a keen interest in missions. In 1994, she and her husband Tom, founded Grace Gardens, a four-acre garden specializing hybrid daylilies. The garden is a nationally recognized display garden featuring over 2500 individual cultivars. Kathy was active in daylily hybridizing naming and registering 69 daylilies to date. In 1998, She and Tom founded the Finger Lakes Daylily Society. The Society has grown and presently has nearly 100 members. Kathy is survived by her husband Tom, six children: Kylene (Tom) Abraham, DNP (Bellona), Julie (Carl) Breithaupt, PhD, (Media, PA), David (Kathy) (N. Tonawanda), Jennifer (Steve) Frey, (Youngstown), Heidi (Sean) Burns (N. Tonawanda), Timothy (Sarah) (Penn Yan), twelve grandchildren, and four great grandchildren, sister Linda Maus and brother Gary Truax. She also has two step-sisters and one step-brother. Fond memories of Kathy may be shared with her family and friends at townsendwoodzinger.com