Roy William Rudderforth Jr

Roy William Rudderforth, Jr., 70, of Menahga, passed away at his home on Saturday, February 18, 2023, surrounded by family and loved ones, after a courageous battle with cancer. Roy was born January 7, 1953 in Alexandria, VA to Roy and Lola (Matta) Rudderforth, where he grew up throughout his childhood. Roy’s family would call him “Robin,” but he hated that nickname and would drop it later in life. He spent his childhood summers in Menahga at his family’s cabin, where his mom would see her Minnesota family. Roy graduated from the famous “Remember the Titans” TC Williams High School in 1971. To appease his family’s desire for him to attend college, he moved to Saint Louis, MO in the fall of 1971 to attend Webster University, where he majored in music theory composition. Roy married Pamela Gosik in 1980 in St. Louis, MO, and was married for ten years. To get away from the big city life, Roy moved to Menahga in 1989, where he became an active part of the local community and remained so for the last 34 years. Roy could be found out and about in the Menahga and Sebeka communities on any given day, covering some event for the Review Messenger, or just visiting with people in the community. He started working at the newspaper in June of 1990, with his first article being published in July 1990. He covered the local sports scene regularly, as well as community events and breaking news stories. He loved living and working in this community that supported him and his family for so many years. Roy was still writing his column up to his death, with his last column published January 25, 2023 (you can rest assured his family will not find any classified documents in his house). Beyond his skills as a wordsmith and photographer, Roy was a beloved friend and family man. He spent much of his downtime gardening, reading, enjoying the outdoors and playing guitar. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, trapping and hiking. He always made the time to hunt and fish with his kids, as well as teach his grandchildren about hunting and fishing. Roy had a love for music, and could often be found attending various live music performances across the area. He was a devout Catholic, and attended church regularly at Our Lady of the Assumption in Menahga, and even taught confirmation classes there. Roy was a father and a friend, and a man that all of us should strive to be like. He cherished his family and made a concentrated effort to remain connected with them, whether that was traveling to the Twin Cities to see his children, Valerie and Kyle and their families, or traveling across the country to visit his son Jeff and his family as they moved from military installation to military installation throughout the country. Family was always Roy’s top priority. Roy is survived by his daughter Valerie (Phil) Flater of Forest Lake, MN; sons Jeff (Nicole) Rudderforth of Watertown, NY and Kyle (Margaret) Rudderforth of Minneapolis, MN; sister Sherry (Bill) Olson of Grand Rapids, MN; Aunts Ardella Sidlo of Sebeka and Lulu Sullivan, one niece, two nephews, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and many other family and friends. Roy was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Lola Rudderforth, his brother Thomas Rudderforth, and his uncles William Matta, Perry Matta and Miles Matta. A memorial service is being planned for later this summer.