Ismael “Mike” Rodriguez, 78, of Rebecca, Georgia, died Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.
Funeral services will be held 3 PM, Monday, April 11, 2022, at Rebecca Baptist Church in Rebecca, Georgia, with the Rev. Eric Smith and the Rev. Tom Stephens officiating. Interment will follow in Luke Cemetery, Ben Hill County. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the sanctuary on Monday.
Mr. Rodriguez was born December 10, 1943, in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, to the late Luis & Nicolosa Pacheco Rodriguez. After graduating high school, he served his country honorably in the United States Air Force. He was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before moving to Georgia and becoming a small-town Southern man. Mr. Rodriguez was a skilled tradesman and was very talented in working with his hands. He worked with Foreman Manufacturing and Turner County Motors before beginning his career with Delco Remy, later Delphi Automotive Systems, where he retired. He enjoyed restoring his home and flying his helicopter as a licensed rotorcraft pilot. He was a member and deacon of Rebecca Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Ann Adams Rodriguez of Rebecca; sons: Christopher Rodriguez of Rebecca and Michael Adam & Kim Rodriguez of Huntsville, Alabama; grandchildren: Christina Rodriguez, C.J. Rodriguez, Elena Rodriguez, Matthew Rodriguez, Aaron Harrell, and Tyler Harrell; two brothers: Gamaliel & Carmen Rodriguez of Ashburn and Danny & Lydia Rodriguez of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and a sister, Aida Ayala of New Jersey.