- Date Of Birth: July 15, 1949
- Date Of Death: January 21, 2021
- City: Interlachen
- State: Florida
Raymond Stephen Rood III, 71 of Interlachen, died on Thursday, January 21, 2021, in Gainesville, FL at Shands ICU of Covid-19. Ray was born in Plant City on July 15, 1949. He was preceded in death by his parents Raymond “Pete” S. Rood Jr, and Mary Elizabeth Rood. He is survived by his best friend, since fourteen years old, loving partner, and thankful, grateful, blessed, wife of 50 years, Barbara Boyett Rood of Interlachen; son, Raymond “Josh” Stephen Rood IV, (Shannon Rood), and grandson, Gabe of Brevard NC; daughters, Kristin Meredith Rood of Landstuhl, Germany, and Megan “Sage” Elizabeth Rood (Graeme Johnson), and granddaughter, Samaya of Windham, CT, his dearly loved sisters, Linda Kaye Taylor (Bill) of Dahlonega, GA, Susan Irene Player (Bill) of Palatka, FL, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Ray grew up in Seffner, Fl, moving to Orange Park in 1963 and graduated from Orange Park High School in 1967, attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, NC, and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Pharmacy. He was a wonderful caring pharmacist for over 40 years who served the community he truly loved, as a hospital and retail pharmacist and retired from Aza Health after 20 years. Ray served with distinction on the Putnam County School Board for 16 years. He was extremely active and generous with his churches, including Trinity United Methodist, our community family church, and current home church Liberty Church of Palatka, FL.
He was an avid woodworker who loved to turn bowls and enjoyed playing the stand-up bass for the local Bluegrass band “Wire and Wood”. He loved spending his days doing yard work, traveling with his Pastor and friend Don and wife Carla, spending days by the ocean, and above all being with his wife Barbara. “Father, husband, brother, teacher, son, lover, and grandfather, he was the best of all worlds.”
