Rod was a dear friend and both he and Esther were a huge support to my family when they lived here in Dallas. Rod and I worked together at the American Heart Association and started playing tennis regularly back in 1990. Later we  played doubles with Esther and my husband. My husband and I started a family and we received the good fortune of their amazing cooking, fellowship and sage advice.  It was sad for us when they moved back to CA. Nevertheless, we always cherished the memories of when they lived in TX.  We did have a few opportunities to visit when they came back to TX and when we went to CA in San Rafael. Both Rod and Esther were incredibly kind, caring and talented human beings. They both had such a great sense of humor and were a lot of fun to be around. I feel very fortunate that we got to know them and stay in touch with them over the years. We will miss them very much. 

Our condolences to Steve, Susan and the entire family.

Fondly, 

Molly Pond