Rodney James Wiste, 57, of Chippewa Falls, WI, formerly of Altoona, WI, passed away on Sunday, January 17, 2010, at home with his loved ones by his side.  Rod was born on August 12, 1952, in La Crosse, WI, a son of Orville and Edna (Olafson) Wiste.

Rod graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, in 1970.  He attended Western Wisconsin Technical College, earning an Associate degree in Visual Communications. He later received a degree in Biomedical and Life Sciences Photography from Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL and completed an internship at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, MA.  He continued his work in the medical photography field in Minneapolis, MN, where he also started a medical computer graphics company.  For the last 19 years, he was the business manager for Computerized Medical Imaging in Eau Claire, WI. 

Rod entered the U.S. Army at age 18, and proudly served his country in Vietnam as a combat door gunner with the “Dutchmasters” Air Cavalry Squadron, 1st Aviation Brigade.  He was awarded a bronze star for his distinguished service. 

Rod married Carol Tronick, eloping with her on December 31, 1975.  They renewed their vows this past New Year’s Eve in the presence of family and friends.  Rod was the very proud father of three children, Leah, Meghan, and Evan. 

Rod was an avid reader of books on American history and a lover of trivia.  He enjoyed tinkering in the garage, especially fixing up old cars.  He was the inventor of a patented tool used for performing electrical work in small spaces.  Rod enjoyed spending time at his cabin on the Chippewa River, relaxing in Mexico and fishing in Canada with his dear friends.  He was a straight-shooter with a dry sense of humor, a passion for life and a generous, gentle heart.

In 2006, Rod was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  He died as he lived: with courage, humor and humility—an optimist to the end.  An extraordinary man who lived an ordinary life, he touched the lives of many and will be missed tremendously. 

Rod is survived by his wife of 34 years Carol and their three children, Leah, Meghan, and Evan Wiste; his mother, Edna; three brothers, Donald (Cathy), Wayne (Trischa Blank) and Gary; and many other loving relatives and friends.  Rod was preceded in death by his father, Orville, and brother, Richard “Duke” Wiste.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Schifeling, Dr. Delmastro, and the staffs at the Marshfield Cancer Center and St. Joseph’s Hospice; Ann and Tyler from Coram Infusions; and Pam from Encompass Health Management.  They would like to thank Jeanne Weggel with Palliative Care at Sacred Heart Hospital for her intuition and advice.  The family would also like to extend their warmest appreciation to nurses Cathy Ruff and Lisa Polhamus of St. Joseph’s Hospital for their exceptional care giving, kindness and friendship. 

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2010, at Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral Home, 814 First Avenue, Eau Claire, with Rev. Rob Gulotta officiating.  The visitation will begin at 11 a.m.  Attendees are invited to wear something red, Rod’s favorite color.  A celebration of Rod’s life will follow the service at the family home. 

Memorials are preferred to Operation Homefront (Wisconsin Chapter, 16 N. Carroll St., Suite 330, Madison, WI 53703), an organization that helps support the families of military men and women serving overseas. 

If Rod were still here, he would remind us: “Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” –Benjamin Franklin