Roderick (Rod) Keillor McEwen, a captivating storyteller who never met a stranger and certainly never ran out of questions, passed away in Brunswick, Georgia, on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at age 84. He had been looking forward to traveling to Gatlinburg to see the fall colors with his wife, Barbara Holmes.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Rod moved with his family to Atlanta when his father accepted a faculty position at the Emory University School of Dentistry. As a boy, he spent hours roaming the Fernbank woods, where his sense of adventure had room to run. At Druid Hills High School, he earned what he called “gentleman’s C’s,” preferring to devote his energy to golf, civic leadership, and a series of often reckless pranks—including one that ended with a man chasing him off his property with a shotgun.

Rod’s gift for storytelling and writing led him to study journalism at Emory University and Georgia State University, but life took him in other directions: first as a golf professional, then as a stockbroker, and finally into a series of increasingly senior leadership roles with the H.B. Fuller Company. His work brought opportunities for new adventures, including moves to Nashville, New Orleans, and Memphis. Although his sales territory was expansive, he spent as much time as possible in the Southeast, home to two of his favorite restaurants, Waffle House and Cracker Barrel.

Leadership came naturally to Rod, and he was regularly drafted into professional, civic, and golf club roles, whether he sought them or not. These included several stints as a homeowner association president, which provided rich material for some of his funniest stories.

Soon after he was given the opportunity to retire early, Rod moved to Tucson with his wife, Judie B. McEwen. There he averaged 200 rounds of golf a year and was always on call when a granddaughter needed a ride, a rescue, or expert lessons in parallel parking. While he loved Tucson’s sunshine, he missed the water, so the couple eventually relocated to the Georgia coast, drawn by their shared love of Jekyll Island.

Rod is survived by his wife, Barbara Holmes, whom he married in August 2025, and her daughter, Diane Holder (Jeffrey); his daughters, Allison Vaillancourt (Richard) and Christina Gerarve, and their mother, Patricia McHenry. His family grew when he married Judie B. McEwen in 1998, bringing her children, Jennifer Crews, Jeff Clapp, Michael Mau, and Keil Mau, into his life. He will be dearly missed by his grandchildren, who adored their Granddaddy; his siblings, Heather Gray, Lynn DeCosta, and Alan McEwen; and his beloved pets, Violet, Chloe, and Albert.

Rod was preceded in death by his parents, Arch and Lois McEwen; his sister, Grace Tuttle; and his wife, Judie B. McEwen.

A celebration of Rod’s life is being planned for January in Atlanta.

Brunswick Memorial Park Funeral Home is honored to serve the McEwen.