Obituary of Rodman G Lemon

Rodman (Rod) Gilbert Lemon, 102, of Vestal, NY, died peacefully at home on May 22, 2023 after a long life, well lived. Born March 19, 1921 in Herndon, PA, to Russell and Sarah Lemon, he is predeceased by his wife Mary Lemon (Engle), his parents, his brother Robert, and his sisters Katherine Enders and Nina Bowman. He is survived by his daughter Deborah Lemont and daughter-in-law Nancy Lipman, of Boston, MA, and his sister, Dorothy Cross of Shreveport, LA, numerous loving nieces and nephews, and their children and grandchildren. Rod was the loving and beloved surrogate grandfather to his godson, Devin Flagg, of Apple Valley, MN and Devin's sister, Serena Tritschler, of St. Cloud, MN. Rod graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in Herndon, PA in 1939. He served in the U.S. Army during W.W. II from 1943-1945. He was stationed in the British Isles and in Europe as a Master Sergeant. Upon returning stateside he reunited with his bride Mary, whom he married in 1943, and went to Bliss Electrical School. After he graduated from their certification program he was hired by IBM, where he worked for 36 years, initially in Philadelphia and then in Endicott and Glendale from 1956 until he retired in 1984. After his retirement, Rod dedicated himself to volunteer work and gardening. He built houses for Habitat for Humanity and was a Faith and Action volunteer with the Broome County Council of Churches. He was an avid gardener and spent all spring and summer cultivating seeds, planting and growing vegetables, and then giving them away. He was never happier than when he could be of use to his friends, family and neighbors, snow blowing their driveways into his late 90's and doing any odd jobs that needed to be done. Rod was a born engineer, able to look at anything and find a way to fix it or improve on its design. He loved to learn new things and could still recite poetry he learned in the first grade. He made his own wine and never hired a plumber until he was 100. The twinkle in his blue eyes delighted all who knew him. Rod was a dedicated Christian and a longtime very active and devoted member of Holy Nativity Lutheran Church in Endicott, NY until its closing in 2020. He was a pillar of the church community for over 60 years. Rod was buried in a graveside service at Herndon Cemetery, in Herndon, PA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lourdes Hospice, ? Lourdes Hospital Foundation, 169 Riverside Drive, Binghamton, NY 13905 or online at Lourdes.com, or Fraser- PO Box 856719, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6719 (a wonderful group that works with autism, mental health and disability services in MN). The family wishes to extend deep gratitude to Erin Duff, Rod's wonderful NP and to Lourdes Hospice for the compassionate care Rod received in the last 2 months of his life.