Frederick Donald Rohrbaugh

Frederick Donald Rohrbaugh, 80, passed away Thursday after a nine year battle with leukemia. Born in New Jersey, the son of the late Milton and Christine Diehl Rohrbaugh, he had been a resident of North Carolina since 1948 and a resident of Garner since 1974. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a BS in Civil Engineering and was a Professional Engineer and Land Surveyor, retiring from the NC Department of Transportation with 34 years service. Mr. Rohrbaugh was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, an active member of Saint Mary, Mother of the Church, Catholic Church and a 35 year member of the Garner Civitan Club. He was a dedicated public servant to Wake County and especially the Town of Garner, serving as Mayor for five terms between 1984 and 2001. In addition, he served on the Board of Aldermen, the Garner Planning Board, Garner Area School Advisory Council, and Co-chairman of the Garner Centennial Committee. He was former chairman of the Wake County Transportation Advisory Committee, member of the I-40 High Occupancy Vehicle Policy Committee, member of the Board of Directors for the NC League of Municipalities and served on the Wake County Board of Adjustment. A Funeral Mass celebrating Don’s life will be held 1:00 pm Saturday at Saint Mary, Mother of the Church, Catholic Church in Garner. Burial will follow at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh. Surviving are his loving wife of 59 years, Betty Hancock Rohrbaugh; son, Richard Rohrbaugh and wife, Susie of Cary; daughter, Cathy Penny and husband, Dean of Clayton and Mary Lib Perry and husband, Jerry of Raleigh; grandchildren, Nathaniel, Neil and Maddie Rohrbaugh, Matthew, Elizabeth and Michael Penny and Joshua and Mason Perry. Visitation will be from 5-8:00 pm Friday at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Garner with a prayer service beginning at 7:30 pm. The family wishes to gratefully acknowledge the dedicated long-term medical care provided by the Cancer Centers of NC and the staff of the oncology floor at Rex Healthcare, whose compassion and care was a great comfort for Don and his family in the last week. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends spend time as volunteers in their community and loving time with their families during the upcoming holidays. Those who wish to do so and are able, are encouraged to make a donation to Saint Mary, Mother of the Church, Catholic Church Building Fund , 1008 Vandora Springs Road, Garner, NC 27529 or to the American Cancer Society, 8300 Health Parks, Ste. 10, Raleigh, NC 27615 or to the charity of one’s choice. Condolences to bryan-leefuneralhome.com.