Rondal E. Sowder

Rondal E. Sowder, age 72 of Fairfield passed away at Hospice of Hamilton on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 4:45 PM. He was born in Hamilton on November 16, 1936 the son of Fay and Louise (Ramsey) Sowder. Rondal was employed as a truck driver for Nationwide Paper, retiring in 1999, and as an auctioneer for more than 50 years. He was a lifelong member of The Church of God of the Union Assembly, where he served as chairman of the deacon board, minister of music, and Sunday school teacher for many years. On June 25, 1955 in Hamilton he married Betty Parks.

He is survived by his wife, Betty Sowder of Fairfield; a son, Ed (Cathy) Sowder of Cincinnati; a daughter, Cindy (Todd) Cordes of Fairfield; four grandchildren, Nicole, Brad, Becky and Josh; a great-grandson, Logan; two brothers, Marvin Sowder of Dalton, Georgia and Brent (Anita) Sowder of Hamilton; a sister, Hilda (Jerry) Parks of Hamilton; his mother-in-law, Oma Parks of Hamilton; two sisters-in-law, Gaynelle Sowder of Dalton, Georgia and Shelba Parks of Chattanooga, Tennessee; a brother-in-law, Donald (Phyllis) Parks of Ross; and he also leaves behind numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and dearly loved friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Harold Sowder; two brothers-in-law, Kenneth and Jesse Parks; and his father-in-law, Leslie Parks.

Funeral service will be held at The Church of God of the Union Assembly, 1814 Millville Avenue, on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 11:00 AM with Rev. Charlie Pratt, Rev. Pratt Hughes, and Rev. Oley Wilson officiating. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Burial Park. Visitation will be held at the Brown-Dawson Funeral Home, 1350 Millville Avenue, on Friday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The family would like to thank all the caregivers at Hospice of Hamilton, with a special thanks to April.