Dr. Rodney Wyse

1932 - 2023

Wyse, Dr. Rodney E.

DR. RODNEY "ROD" E. WYSE, 90, of Cedarville exited for Heaven on March 12, 2023. He was born on July 11, 1932 in Stryker, Ohio to the late Ellis and Leola Wyse. Following graduation from Stryker High School in 1950, he earned his BA in Business and Economics from Wheaton (Illinois) College in 1954, an MBA from the University of Arizona (Tucson) in 1961 and a Ph.D. in Business Organization from The Ohio State University in 1972. Rod was employed at Aro Corporation (Bryan, Ohio) from 1955-1960 before beginning a teaching career at Cedarville University in 1961. In 1967 he accepted the position of Chairperson of Department of Business Administration at Central State where he remained until his retirement in August 1995. Rod married Vera "Gerri" (White) Wyse on August 4, 1962. Dr. Wyse was a member of the Cedar Cliff Board of Education from 1979-1985 and concurrently a member of the Greene County School Vocational Board from 1982-1985. He and his wife Gerri were charter members of Southgate Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and taught Sunday School for over 35 years. Scripture memorization became a serious objective for him over the last number of years. It could be said that Rod was a real people person, authoring many personal notes and cards designed to encourage friends struggling with physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. Rod was not bashful regarding his love for The Ohio State Buckeyes, attending football games for 45 years and having season tickets for 27 years. The OSU Buckeye logo appears on one corner of his headstone. Rod and Gerri were avid gardeners for 60 years of their married life, canning and freezing much of the produce they had grown. At the age of 16 Rod contracted polio, battling with the resulting limitations for the balance of his life. In his later years, he needed the assistance of his wonderful wife, Gerri due to his lack of ambulatory skills. Rod frequently referred to Gerri as an angel. Rod is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Gerri; his oldest daughter, Jackie (Michael) Jones of Fairborn, Ohio, their three children, Sydney, Rodney, and Marty; his youngest daughter, Jill (David) Winn of Upper Arlington, Ohio and their two children, Kristin (Ashley) and Tracy (Jarrod); three grandchildren, Taylor, Levi, and Lila; a brother-in-law, Don Callan and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister, Nedra Callan. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, March 17, 2023 from 5-8 pm at Southgate Baptist Church, 2111 S. Center Blvd., Springfield. A celebration of Rod's life will be held on Saturday at 10:30 am at the church with Pastor Eric Mounts officiating. Burial will follow in the North Cemetery in Cedarville. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to any of the following: Wycliffe Associates, PO Box 620143, Orlando, FL 32862; Men's Basketball program at Cedarville University, 251 N. Main Street, Cedarville, OH 45314 or Samaritan's Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607. You may express condolences to the family at www.littletonandrue.com