Rodney Allen Hockenbary was born July 23, 1937 in Rapid City, SD to Ralph and Adelaide(Boomer) Hockenbary. He was raised north of Allen, SD on the parents' homestead and attended country school near Allen. He attended eighth grade in Brookings, SD and then high school in Kadoka where he met his future wife, Theresa. They were married on November 22, 1958.

The newlyweds made their home north of Allen, SD on Rodney's parents' place until May of 1959. It was at this time that they purchased their own home, a ranch, south of Kilgore, NE. The ranch was blessed with the beautiful Niobrara River and trees galore. It was here that they spent nearly 40 years and brought five children into this world. John was born January 1960; Lawrence, January 1965; Patricia, March 1969; Aaron, November 1970; and Allen, February 1974. In 1997 Theresa and Rodney started their next great adventure-partial retirement in Valentine, NE. The couple lived in temporary housing until 1998. They moved into their own custom home in September of 1998.

Rodney joined St. Mary's Catholic Church on October 12, 1978, and was inducted into the Knights of Columbus in 1979. He later achieved the ranking of fourth degree knight in K of C. He was Farm Bureau President for many years and was a secretary for a period.  He drove the school bus for Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools for many years. His hobbies included fixing old tractors, fishing in hot or cold, tinkering in the shop, and drinking coffee and visiting with friends. In his retirement, he enjoyed driving the bus for Brewers Canoers for 20 years.

Grateful for sharing his life with him are his children, John(Julie) Hockenbary of Woodlake, NE; Lawrence(Tera) Hockenbary of New Underwood, SD; Patricia Grove of Pinedale, WY; Aaron(Holly) Hockenbary of Valentine, NE; Allen(Jamie) Hockenbary of Fruitdale, SD; grandchildren: Joni, Jami(John); Cassie, Blane(Lawrence);  Kodi, Kara, Kayla, Krista, Kolt, Gable(Patricia); Derek, Lance,  Luke,  Alyssa(Aaron); Corey, Collin, Layla, Cole(Allen), as well as their significant partners, and 28 great- grandchildren. He was cherished by his beloved friend Lorraine Stevens.  His presence will be missed by the multitude of friends and neighbors he touched while among them.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Theresa; father, Ralph; mother, Adelaide; and grandson-in-law, Dennis.

Funeral service for Rodney Hockenbary, age 87 of Valentine, will be held on Friday, September 6, 2024, at 10:30 AM at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Valentine.  The burial will follow at Mt Hope Cemetery in Valentine.  A visitation will be on Thursday, Sept. 5th from 6-9 PM at Sandoz Chapel of the Pines.  Mr. Hockenbary passed away on Sept. 1 at his home in Valentine.