Rodney Duane Hoagland

Rodney Duane Hoagland, 79, passed away Saturday, July 18, 2026.

Rodney was baptized at the University Baptist Church in Wichita in March of 1958. He graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Science in 1977. Rodney started work at Boeing in 1978 and retired in 2017. Rodney made many lifelong friends during his nearly 40 years at Boeing. He was a voracious reader and an interesting storyteller. A co-worker once said that “Rodney did not need a topic, only a time limit!”

Rodney was extremely well read, reading everything he could get his hands on in a variety of topics from math, history, computers and programing , to Shakespeare and how to speak like a gentleman when giving a toast. Rodney continued his passion for reading while in the nursing home, savoring every moment. He didn’t seem to mind a failing body as long as he could continue to learn and expand his mind.

In Rodney’s last days, he was quoting Shakespeare to his close friend as if to write his own obituary:

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

Rodney was very humble and made everyone joyful with his unflappable optimism. Even with all his health obstacles he was always so optimistic. He would always say “Just another speed bump in life’s great adventure!” anytime he would receive bad news. Rodney treated everyone with respect and greeted everyone by name. He knew how to make a person feel seen and appreciated. He knew that the smallest gesture of remembering a person’s name could let them know their importance.

Rodney is preceded in death by his parents, Glen and Margery Hoagland.

He is survived by sister, Mary Rogene Hoagland.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established with: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, one of several charities he has supported for years.

Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuaries — East Wichita.