Roderick "Opa" Junghans

Roderick (“Opa”) Junghans, 96, died January 23, 2018. He was preceded in death by his son, Gregory; and wife of 65 years, Mary. He is survived by his daughters, Cathy Atkinson and husband, Bill and Barbara Johnson and partner, Stanley Aragon; grandchildren, Doug Driggers and partner Twila Anding, Derek Driggers and wife Shelby, Teresa Clayton Talley and Tammy Hanneman of Tulsa, OK, Ashley Gallegos and great children; Tyler Johnson and father, Duane Johnson; great-grandchildren, Katelyn Driggers and spouse, Jessica Driggers.

For his entire life Rod was the epitome of the modern term mindfulness. He lived and flourished in the simplicity of everyday wonder. He enjoyed the sound of rustling through fallen autumn leaves, dancing with toddlers, serenading pretty ladies, talking to strangers, reading, eating strange food pairings (like tuna and peanut butter), laughing until he cried, and crying during poignant moments not sad ones. He loved to travel and saw many places around the world. No doubt it was the military recruitment strategy of “See the World” that got him to enlist with the Army-Air Corps as a young man. He had a 30-year wonderful career in the Air Force. Rod especially enjoyed the pure sandy beaches of Guam, the spectacular beauty of the Austrian mountains, the bluebonnets in Texas hill country, and feeling the ocean breezes in San Diego. He often traveled solo not wanting or waiting to let opportunities pass by to visit and experience new places. He felt blessed and privileged to have stockpiled hundreds and hundreds of varied landscapes, experiences, and persons in his memory banks. He recounted and relied on those treasured memories to carry him through in old age. He was frugal because the best things in life are not things. He was a daily smiler, a constant optimist, and had knowledge and extraordinary foresight about many things. Rod took daily long walks and kept a steady, almost inflexible, routine. He was an avid reader of books, newspapers, and magazines. He would write to the newspaper editor about issues he had a strong opinion about. He loved food and had a voracious appetite, making it a rarity that there were leftovers. He was a man of conviction and liked a congenial debate. You couldn’t get him to change his mind, but he didn’t try to change yours either and appreciated that you had your view and were passionate enough to present it well. He was a devout Catholic and believed that any of his personal sufferings on this earth were to acknowledge those that Christ suffered for him. He taught his children through example not demands. He used his imagination, complete with sound effects, to tell bedtime stories. His home remedies for colds or aches was a homemade concoction that always included Vicks. Rubber bands and duct tape fixed anything torn or broken. Rod loved playing golf most of his adult life and while he may not have outdriven anyone in his usual foursome at Los Altos, he frequently out-putted them and even got a few holes-in-one. He enjoyed watching boxing, football, and golf. He did not pick sides or have favorite teams, but he said he liked games that had strong challengers or were close or hard-fought.

He was a committed family man who imparted independence, resiliency and humility on his children. He felt empathy for any fellow human being in the same manner he would for a family member. He believed that the world was wonderful and every day was good, especially if you could go outside and gaze at the Sandia Mountains.