Roderick "Rod" Adalbert Robert, 91, of Rolette, ND, died peacefully of natural causes on November 17th, 2023, in Oak Park, IL.

He was born on April 9th, 1932, to Adalbert Robert and Delia (Plante) Robert in Rolette County, North Dakota on the family homestead. The youngest of six, he grew up speaking French as a first language while attending Hillside Township School Number 1.

Graduating from that one room schoolhouse in the 8th grade he worked alongside his family on the farm. He was 21 before they had their first TV and would laugh telling stories about the 40-foot-high antenna that was required to get that grainy signal. In 1955, he was drafted by the US Navy and recalled that the bus ride from Dunseith to the receiving station at Treasure Island, San Francisco was long but that he enjoyed being out on his own.

Despite being from the plains of North Dakota on a ship that has been described as "…not picked for her steadiness…", he never experienced a day of sea sickness. He was proud of this. He enjoyed being a sailor. A machinist mate on the USS Colonial from 1955-1957, his ship would be featured in the April 1957 issue of National Geographic Magazine for its role in Operation San Diego High. While in the Navy, he spent time in San Diego, San Francisco, Hawaii, and Japan. If prodded he might also admit that he and his close shipmates spent their down time driving around Los Angeles in a Cadillac convertible on self-guided "tours." These tours focused primarily with finding the pubs with the cheapest pitcher of beer. It wasn't all fun though as he made the most of his time in the service and earned his high school diploma.

Returning to North Dakota he continued to work alongside his siblings, learning the land as well as anyone ever has or probably ever will. A lifelong Catholic he was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, volunteering as much time as he could. His strong belief in family farming kept him politically active as well and he served as the district 9 Secretary of the North Dakota Democratic Party in the 1980's.

He met the love of his life, Leslie, as a member of the Rolette County Swingers square dancing group at an event in Rolla, ND. They were married on November 11th, 1985, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Belcourt, ND. The new marriage came with two prepackaged children and his fatherly love was instant. The young family spent their free time at Adams Lake and the Peace Garden or traveling to Winnipeg to see shows and visit museums.

Buying the Vrem farm less than two miles from the Robert farmstead in the summer of 1987, the new family moved from Belcourt to the country. He planted over thirty trees on the property, watering them with the same diligence paid to his large vegetable garden and crops. The proximity of his childhood farmstead facilitated the continuation of farming with his siblings for the next thirty years.

He retired in 2017 at the age of 85 and along with his wife, traveled to western NY (to the shores of Chautauqua Lake) and to western MI (where he enjoyed the trees of the Manistee National Forest) among other places. He spent the past eleven months in Chicago, IL with his children and grandchildren attending church, violin recitals, enjoying Sunday dinners, and helping his "little girls" plant a garden.

Mechanically inclined, he liked to tinker, was an avid reader, and was always on the go (albeit rarely at a breakneck speed). If you needed to understand how a transmission worked or why Moline made the best plows, he'd be happy to explain (and probably in more detail than the listener intended). He had a great and unsuspectingly sly sense of humor, loved telling stories (not a single one of them short), and although not particularly interested in sports, enjoyed watching hockey (especially if the broadcast was in French). His oversized soft spot for animals (at one point hiring a plane to fly him around so he could look for a lost dog) was an extension of his gentle nature. He had, and was, a truly kind soul.

Roderick is survived by his children, Edward Jackson (Kelly Dailey) and Joanna Jackson-Graves (Joshua Graves); his three grandchildren: Kathryn, Elsie, and Molly; and nephew Valiant Moyer. He was preceded in death by his wife, Leslie Carlson, his parents, Adalbert Robert, and Delia (Plante) Robert, his sisters: Annette Robert, Aliana Moyer, Angela Jarvis, his brothers: Rudolph Robert, Anatole Robert, his brothers-in-law: Charles Moyer and Gene Jarvis, and his nephew: James Jarvis. His in-laws: Arthur D. Carlson, and Phyllis (Eggleston) Carlson, and his brother-in-law Steven Carlson.

Per Roderick's wishes, there was no funeral. There will be a burial service at 10am on Monday, June 24th at the Riverside Cemetery, rural Dunseith, North Dakota. If you would like to donate in his memory, please consider one his favorite places, the International Peace Garden - https://peacegarden.com/donate/