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Obituary

      

LeRoy Wayne Rohrbach age 76 and a resident of Porterville for 51 years passed away October 29, 2017 in Porterville, CA. LeRoy was born in Bakersfield, CA on August 4, 1941. LeRoy was preceded in death by his parents Irvin (Bill) and Alene Rohrbach. Surviving family includes his wife Donna Weidenbach Rohrbach of Porterville. Son, Bryan Rohrbach and wife Carri of Bakersfield. Son Brad Rohrbach and wife Elizabeth of Porterville. Sister Joan Crow of Bakersfield and Brother Kenny Rohrbach of Lousianna. Grandchildren include Layton and Dalton Rohrbach of Bakersfield and Kambria and Gianna Rohrbach of Porterville. LeRoy was raised in Shafter and it was during his sophomore year in high school that Mert Wiedmann, who owned Shafter Drug Store, asked LeRoy to help at the drug store. LeRoy started by stocking shelves and making deliveries for the drug store and with Mert's encouragement, decided to pursue a career as a pharmacist after graduating from Shafter High School in 1959. He earned an AA Degree from Bakersfield Junior College and married his sweetheart, Donna Weidenbach in 1963. LeRoy graduated from USC in 1965 with a Doctorate in Pharmacy and returned to Shafter where he and Mert settled on a plan to open a new pharmacy in the nearby city of Porterville. That happened in 1966 when they opened the Smith's Drug Store at 69 west Willow. LeRoy along with Donna devoted themselves to their new community and business. Many nights LeRoy would gather up prescriptions and deliver them after hours to customers in the surrounding areas, like Terra Bella and Ducor, because he knew they needed them. He was passionate about serving his customers and would do anything he could to help them. For many years, LeRoy was an active member of the Porterville Noon Rotary Club. He was a pilot for more than 10 years and would often fly with Mert to attend to business at the drug stores in the cities of Bishop and Shafter. The Wiedmann-Rohrbach partnership enjoyed decades of good business and community involvement. In 1971, the Rohrbach's opened Rohrbach's Baby News, at that time it was a buying group. They offered a complete line of children's clothing, educational toys, infant furniture including cribs, walkers, strollers, and many other infant items. In August of 1992, Rohrbach's sold Smith's Drug Store and Rohrbach's Hallmark Store to Long's Drug Store. LeRoy enjoyed buying most gift, collectible, and jewelry items. He and Donna sought to meet the gift needs of the community. He and Donna enjoyed spending time with family, including both of their parents. They were often found to be gathering with parents, children, and grandchildren for meals. They enjoyed moments camping in the Sierras and at the coast in Pismo and Morro Bay. LeRoy and Donna attended Strathmore First Baptist Church for many years and were actively involved in Orange Belt Christian School. During the past 15 years, they would attend services with family at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield and in the past couple of years enjoyed attending services at Strathmore Faith Baptist. LeRoy's relationship to God was an ever present and daily part of his being. He also sought to find the best in people connecting with them through expression of love and compassion. He was a people person and usually was found putting others before himself. Following is one of his favorite quotes. "When I am all you have, you will find I am all you need". Signed, The Lord. The family would like to extend appreciation to the following: USC Keck Norris Cancer Treatment Center, Sierra View District Hospital, Optimal Home Health. Special gratitude to Dr. Mark Tindall, Dr. Ravi Reddy, Dr. Bindusagar Reddy, Dr.Kannappan Mohan, and Dr. Anwer Baloch. A Memorial Service will be held l0:00am Thursday November 2"nd in the Chapel at Porterville Funeral & Cremation Center. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Sierra View District Hospital Foundation.To sign LeRoy's online register book or leave a message of condolence, please visit www.portervillefuneral.com. For additional information contact Porterville Funeral & Cremation Center, 765 W. Henderson Ave., Porterville. (559)784-6485.

Published in The Porterville Recorder on Nov. 1, 2017