Obituary of Rodney Jay Thaut

Rodney Jay Thaut, also known as “The Wizard of Plumbing,” the son of Ronald and Eileen Thaut, was born on January 31st, 1950 in Tacoma, Washington. He passed away on Thursday, July 1st at 10:35 p.m. after battling Mesothelioma Cancer for almost a year. Rodney was surrounded by family he loved as he was welcomed with God’s open arms into heaven. Rod was born and raised in the Tacoma area. He is the oldest of Ronald and Eileen Thaut’s four children. He graduated from Stadium High school in 1968 and immediately enlisted in the United Stated Coast Guard, serving from 1968 to 1972. After his service in the Coast Guard, Rod returned to Tacoma, Washington where he shortly worked for a carpet cleaning company. During this time, he met his wife, Kathy, at Faith Temple Church where they began their courtship. After a year of dating Kathy, he asked her parents for permission to marry her. Rod landed a job with a plumbing company in which he began a career which spanned over 35 years in the plumbing industry. Seven months later, on September 12th, 1975, Rod and Kathy were married at Faith Temple. Rod and Kathy began their plumbing company in 1984. He was the senior plumber of his company, At Your Service Plumbing, for 26 years. He cherished the relationships he formed with his clients, diligently working to meet their service needs, and he valued the bond he formed with each and every person. Rod also gave back to his chosen industry by serving on the board of the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors of Washington State. In return he was blessed with many friendships. Rod was a man with a passionate Christian faith. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He loved being surrounded by family and friends and always worked hard to please others. Rod loved to travel with his wife and also enjoyed hunting, scuba diving, and golfing. Deep down, Rod dreamed of being a cowboy. He owned a closet full of cowboy attire which he would often wear much to his family’s dismay. Later in life, Rod’s pride and joy came from the time he spent with his wife, children, their spouses, and his three grandchildren. In addition, Rod’s wife, Kathy, and daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and Dan Larson, will welcome a new grandchild, Raedyn Jay Larson, sometime the end of July as will son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Kerstin Thaut, in March of 2011. Rod is survived by his father, Ron Thaut, his wife, Kathy Thaut, of 35 years, his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Kerstin Thaut, his daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and Daniel Larson, his three grandchildren, Kealyn and Kael Thaut, and Elise Larson, his three siblings and their spouses, Rocky and Terrie Thaut, Christine and Jim VanBuskirk, Mary-Jayne and John Wheeler, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jim and Pauline Edwards, his brother-in-laws, David and Kirk Edwards, and his sister-in-law, Sheri Edwards. Rod was preceded in death by his mother, Eileen Thaut. Donations may be sent in Rod’s honor to Grace Place Food Bank (checks payable to RDC), 3801 South Union Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98409. Edwards Memorial at 3005 Bridgeport Way West, University Place, WA 98466 can accept flowers or plants no later than Friday, July 9th at 5 p.m. A celebration of Rodney’s life will be held at Grace Place Church located at 3801 S. Union Avenue, in Tacoma, Washington, 98409 on Saturday, July 10th at 11:00 a.m. with reception to follow.