Steve R. Rodriguez

Steve R. Rodriguez, 82, of Cheyenne, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family after a long and arduous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was born on September 2, 1942 in Niles, California.
Steve was raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming from an early age and graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1960. At Cheyenne High School, Steve was very active in Art Club and was a varsity wrestler. Upon high school graduation, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence where he was an art student. In 1961 he enlisted in the United States Navy and was stationed in San Diego, California. He was honorably discharged in 1967.
On January 20, 1965 he married Sylvania Paiz, a Cheyenne native he knew since childhood and they both grew up in the same Cheyenne neighborhood attended elementary school, junior high and high school together. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this coming January 2025. Together they proudly raised two adult sons, Scott and Stephen.
Steve received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1969 and Master’s Degree in 1972 both in Art and in Education and a Certification in School Administration from the University of Wyoming, an institution in which he carried his alumni status very proudly through-out the years. In 1969, he joined the faculty of McCormick Junior High School and became a very popular and well respected colleague and teacher. In 1977 he was among a handful of faculty picked to teach at the newly opened Central High School. Affectionately known as “Mr. Rod” to generations of Central High School students, he became a Central High School institution. During his twenty four years at Central he became part of the fabric of the Central Community. He was active as a varsity Wrestling coach, advisor to the Junior class year after year, faculty member who oversaw prom each year for twenty years, and chair of the faculty sociability committee and chaired the LCSD1 Curriculum Advisory Council in 1985-1986. He was also the President of the Wyoming AFL-CIO Teachers union for many years. Education was his life blood and he was proud to instill the virtues of education to generations of students, and to his own sons, Scott, who graduated from Colgate University and Columbia University School of Law in NYC, and Stephen, who graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Steve was proud of Cheyenne and the Cheyenne Community and actively gave back through his membership in many local organizations. He enjoyed coaching and umpiring in many local baseball leagues. He was a valued member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association and the Cheyenne High Time Rabbit Breeders Club. He was a member and Past President for many years of the Cheyenne Artists Guild, was active as a St. Mary’s parishioner and the Knights of Columbus, he worked at programs that assisted Cheyenne’s homeless and less fortunate, was active in youth events as a 4-H leader and actively involved in curriculum and programing at the Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club, and actively presented his artwork at various community displays throughout the year, including at the prestigious Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum Invitational Juried Art show.
Steve Rodriguez is survived by his wife of 59 years Sylvania Rodriguez, of Cheyenne, and two adult sons, Scott of Cheyenne, and Stephen of Denver. He has two surviving brothers Benjamin and Robert Rodriguez both of Cheyenne and cousin Richard Carey of Los Angeles, California. He was preceded in death by an infant son, father Isavel Rodriguez and mother Aurora “Dora” Rodriguez, a brother Rafael Rodriguez, and a very beloved aunt Eva M. Carey and cousin Alberta “Boni” Anderson.
Services include a Rosary on Thursday September 26 at 6:30 pm at Wiederspahn Chapel of the Chimes and Funeral services at 10:30 am at St. Mary’s Cathedral.