Rodney D. Bender

KALONA ? Rodney Dale Bender, 44, of Portland, Oregon, formerly of Kalona, died Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, in Portland.

Celebration of life memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Kalona Mennonite Church with the Rev. Scott Swartzendruber officiating. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday at the Yoder-Powell Funeral Home in Kalona. A memorial fund has been established for Growing Gardens in Portland, Oregon.

Mr. Bender was born Oct. 26, 1970, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the son of Lloyd and Joyce (Brenneman) Bender.

He graduated from Iowa Mennonite School and Evergreen State College in Washington state with a degree in sustainable agriculture and community development. He had lived in Portland for the past 15 years, where he worked for Growing Gardens for 10 years and more recently for the City of Portland. He enjoyed camping, hiking, gardening, and spending time with friends and family.

Surviving are his parents, Lloyd and Joyce Bender of Kalona; two sisters, Heidi Willems and husband Andrew of Kalona, and Heather Bender of Iowa City; one nephew; one niece; and Kellen Smith of Portland, Oregon.