Pomona activist dies at 74

POMONA - Long-time Pomona resident Milo Rodich was remembered Friday as a passionate man who fought for what he believed and always sought what was best for the city.

Rodich, 74, died Aug. 27 at Mt. San Antonio Gardens of heart problems following several months of poor health, said his sister, Nadine Yuhasz.

"He was a very passionate person. He loved people, loved life and lived life to the fullest," his sister said.

"He was a very hard working individual who was passionate about making a difference in the world," she said.

Rodich was a tireless advocate for city taxpayers who would point out wasteful government spending and ineffective leadership.

An observer of city government, Rodich was prepared to step up to the speakers' podium when he saw something that was detrimental to Pomona.

"He was a council watcher but generally backed up what he had to say with facts," said Pat Newton, another longtime resident who worked with him to oppose the establishment of a card club in the city in the 1990s.

When Rodich took on an issue he invested all his energy in it, research it and spoke on the topic with solid facts backing his argument, Newton said.

He used the same energy to recruit others.

"He was a community organizer par excellence," Newton said.

In opposing the card club Rodich "took the time and made time" to walk countless miles gathering signatures and support for the cause, she said.

"He was a very passionate man and worked very, very hard on those thing in which he believed in," Newton said.

Pomona resident Virginia Madrigal said over the years there were issues she and Rodich agreed on and others they did not such as the card club matter.

"We agreed to disagree," Madrigal said. "But we always respected each other."

Rodich was involved in various civic issues over the years including opposing the creation of a materials recycling facility in the mid 1990s. In 2002 he put an initiative on the ballot seeking a gradual reduction of the city's utility tax and the general sanitation fee leading to its elimination.

At one point he sought political office, entering the November 2000 race for mayor of Pomona challenging then Mayor Eddie Cortez unsuccessfully.

Councilman Steve Atchley said he met Rodich during his mayoral campaign.

Atchley's parents hosted a Rodich campaign event. Atchley said he remembers his eloquence.

That eloquence would sometimes come up in the City Council chambers.

"He'd come up and thunder at you like Moses on a mountain," Atchley said. "He could draw blood with his tongue."

Mayor Elliott Rothman, who at times was the target of Rodich's attention, said Rodich was "a community activist" who had the good of the city in mind.

"He did a lot of good for the city," Rothman said.

Rodich's passion and drive were not limited to civic causes, his sister said.

Rodich was a native of Aliquippa, Pa., and the fourth of 10 children born to Milos and Mildred Rodich.

As a boy he was just as energetic as he was as an adult, Yuhasz said.

"He was a leader in the neighborhood," she said.

At home "he wanted all the kids to do the best they could and be the best," Yuhasz said.

He also made sure his siblings followed the right path.

"He was the disciplinary...He made sure we were righteous," she said.

Rodich worked his way through Penn State University where he earned a degree in industrial management and relations, Yuhasz said.

He continued his education taking courses in public administration at the University of Pittsburgh.

A man of many talents, Rodich went on to work in various fields holding upper management positions with major companies including Disney and US Steel, Yuhasz said. He worked in marketing and also worked in real estate.

Rodich was living in Northern California working as a manager for the San Jose Chamber of Commerce and left that in 1964 to become the executive director of the United Way of Pomona Valley, his sister said.

He left Pomona moved away for a period and later returned, Yuhasz said.

Yuhasz said her brother was optimistic, energetic and a life long learner.

Yuhasz said she will miss her brother's caring nature, his ever present positive attitude and quick wit.

To Yuhasz Rodich was more than a brother.

"He was like my father. He was my friend," she said.

Rodich was preceded in death by his wife Alice Rodich, his parents and a brother George Rodich,

He is survived by two step children, Lani Cordero of Santa Barbara and Will Bowen of San Diego, eight siblings, Dorothy Goydich, Daniel Rodich and Steve Rodich of Aliquippa, Pa.; Eli Rodich of Moon Township, Pa.; Art Rodich of Sun Lakes, Arizona; Joanne Cercone and Sarah Nenadovich of Beaver Pa.; and Nadine Yuhasz of Glendale, Arizona; and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and great, great nieces and nephews.