Murad Abid

Abid, Murad (Rod) Michael. Rod lost his 10+ year battle with Frontotemporal Dementia, a devastating incurable neurological disease, on January 12, 2026 at the age of 63. He was born on August 30, 1962, and grew up in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, where he graduated from McCluer High School in 1980 and from the University of Missouri - St. Louis in 1985 with a degree in Communications.
He began his career in public radio as a member of the student staff at KWMU, the St. Louis NPR station at UMSL. A stint as an intern at NPR in Washington D.C. led to a 20 year career with NPR culminating with a Peabody Award for producing "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!," the NPR news quiz show, in 2007. While at NPR, he directed "Morning Edition," as well as producing in the field from Sarajevo, Kosovo, Japan and U.S. locations. He ended his radio career from 2009-2014 in Los Angeles as Senior Producer "Marketplace Morning Report" and "Marketplace Tech Report," after which he went on disability and eventually moved to Cleveland in 2021 to be with family. He was a grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 31 years.
For all his life he was a sponge for information, especially about sports, politics, current events, news. He loved skyscrapers, jumbo jets, dopio macchiatos, and the Saint Louis Cardinals. Traveling the world was a primary activity until prevented by illness.
He is survived by his mother, Ann Bartelsmeyer Abid (Roldo S. Bartimole); sister, Kady Abid Cole (Kevin Mular); nephew, Charles William Cole; aunts, Susan Bartlett (James) and Debra Barrett (Dennis); step siblings, Karin Bartimole (John County), Todd Bartimole (Jennifer Hunter) and Lucy Bartimole (Brad Campbell), as well as cousins, nephews and nieces. He is also survived by dear friends who kept up with him during his illness: David Kramer, Ken Mitchell, Michael Sarna, Emily Ecton, Martin Kurcias, Mike Madison, Eric Sweigard, Sean Collins, Richard Green, Tom Barclays and Rex Bauer. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Luella (Niehaus) and Clarence Frederick Bartelsmeyer, who were instrumental in raising him.
From July 2022 until his death he was cared for and protected by staff, too numerous to list, at Windsor Heights Memory Care in Beachwood OH. Tara Lagnese, RN, and Katrina Gardner, STNA, of Suncrest Hospice cared for him during the final year of his life.
A memorial service will be held later in the year. Memorial donations can be made to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) at 2700 Horizon Drive, Suite 120, King of Prussia, PA 19406 or online at http://www.theaftd.org/ in memory of Rod Abid. For further information and to sign the guestbook, please log online to www.Brown-Forward.com