Gerard (Rod) R. Kaelin Sr.

Gerard (Rod) R. Kaelin Sr., a Riverhead hometown hero, succumbed to illnesses directly related to Agent Orange exposure on Aug. 31, 2024, at his home in Edgewater, Fla..

Born in Riverhead Oct. 4, 1944, to Russell and Viola (Raynor) Kaelin, he was the youngest of four sons, joining brothers Daniel, Harold and Joseph. He attended St. John’s Catholic School and continued on to Riverhead High School. During these years, starting with elementary school, he developed numerous friendships that continued throughout his lifetime.

While Mr. Kaelin was employed by NY Bell, Uncle Sam called and he was drafted September 1965.  He was assigned to the 173rd Airborne as a Med Corpsman. His unit was dispatched to Vietnam and was the first unit to make an aerial assault. During that time, Agent Orange was sprayed to defoliate the jungle. He was injured by a land mine while driving an ambulance and was subsequently flown stateside for surgery to repair a shattered ankle. He was awarded a Purple Heart.

Mr. Kaelin returned to NY Bell and married Carole Bagenski in 1968. They settled in Cutchogue and raised four children.

He was remarried in 1994 to Drew Dzenkowski Walker and they moved to Wilmington, N.C. Twenty years later, they relocated to Edgewater, Fla. As in his earlier years, Rod continued to acquire lifelong friends along the way.

Predeceased by his parents, his youngest son, Marc, and his brothers (and their spouses) Joseph (Mary Ann) and Daniel (Patricia), Rod is survived by his brother Harold (Celinda) of Taos, N.M.; son Gerard Jr. (Laurie), of Aquebogue; daughters Renee Reeve and Brenda Corrigan of Cutchogue; stepsons Warren Walker of Mt. Ariel, Pa., and Richard Walker (Lisa) of Roswell, Ga.; eight grandchildren who he adored: Grace, Sierra, Ian and Charlie Kaelin, Ashley (Mike) Minnick, Alexa Reeve and Tyler and Kayla Corrigan; great-granddaughters Kaelin and Mya Minnick; and step-great-granddaughter Kamora Minnick, all of whom reside on the East End of Long Island. He is also survived by his best friends, Walter and Jeannie Rogers of Edgewater, Fla.

Rod loved his family, friends and the N.Y. Mets. Most of all, he loved life. He will be missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held the spring.

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