Rodney William Sumner of Santa Barbara died Feb. 5, 2015.
Rod was born May 28, 1950, in Peoria, Ill., to Dr. Ronald E. Sumner and The Honorable Mary-Louis (Fehr) Sumner, who preceded him in death.
He is survived by his brothers, Douglas Kirk (Rebecca, deceased) of Mountain View, Ark., and Bradley Dean (Linda) of Troy, Mo., as well as many nieces and nephews.
Rod graduated from Woodruff High School in Peoria and then Bradley University, where he majored in psychology and political science. He was the youngest member of the Illinois Central College and Board of Trustees for several terms.
Rod moved to California as a political adviser and ran many political campaigns, but his primary interest was serving the Lord. His dad said, “Rod lived his life as a messenger of Christ’s great commission to preach His word to the world.”
Rod was an eternal optimist and his huge smile, willingness to jump in and help plus all the love he so generously gave will be greatly missed by all the beloved family, friends and members of the Santa Barbara Christadelphian Ecclesia, where he faithfully attended.
Rod so loved his employers, colleagues and clients. He worked for Limousine Link, the Goleta Valley School District and Santa Barbara Trolley. You could see him with the trolley, cruise ship tours and wine tours. He was a connoisseur when he gave his tours. His clients loved him and he had such a long list of repeat business with many event planning businesses. His greatest pleasure was Soleil (golden retriever), who was always by his side.
A celebration of Rod’s life and a reception will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 at 206 Stanley Drive in Santa Barbara.