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Birth:          10 Jul 1941 Seattle, Wash.
Death:          23 Apr 1999 Seattle, Wash.
Cause of Death: heart attack

Notes
!PUBL
Strichertz Fam Tree on ancestry
Wash Marr Rec on ancestry
Wash Death Idx on ancestry
A Dennis Rodia, 57
of Seattle
A. DENNIS RODIA'S PERSONAL TOUCH SWEETENED HIS BUSINESS
Seattle Times, The (WA) — Sunday, May 9, 1999
Talk about a job with benefits. 

As a 17-year-old with a hankering for licorice, A. Dennis Rodia answered a newspaper 
ad and landed a job at Rogers Candy in Seattle. Suddenly he had access to an 
endless supply of confections. 

"I suppose that's why he liked staying there - he got to eat all the candy he wanted," 
said his mother, Geraldine Simonson of Maple Valley. 

He stayed at the company for more than 30 years, working as a supervisor for Rogers 
Candy and later Hazel Candy, which bought out Rogers. 

Then, in 1990, he founded his own business - Wicky Wacky Taffy, which he started 
out of a converted carwash in Snoqualmie. The wholesale business moved to Renton 
a year later, where it still operates today, specializing in candy with designs and logos. 

Mr. Rodia, who had been troubled by kidney failure for years, died April 23 of a heart 
attack at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He was 57. 

While his sweet tooth may have steered him toward his career, he also was compelled 
by the hard work and craftsmanship that went into making a delectable batch of 
candy. 

"He believed that when you make candy, you do it right," his mother said. "He was 
always trying to make things better, do things better." 

His wife, Shirley, said he enjoyed tinkering with candy formulas to give them his own 
personal touch. 

She remembered a time when her husband traveled to Wisconsin to learn recipes with 
fellow candy-makers. He deviated from the standard recipes, drawing skepticism from 
his colleagues. But at the end of the day, many who had dutifully followed the recipes 
found themselves with clumps of burned candy. Mr. Rodia's turned out perfect. 

In addition to candy, he had a passion for restoring boats and cars, including classic 
Corvettes and Chevrolets. As a teenager, he had a job dismantling cars before starting 
work at Rogers Candy. 

Relatives say he enjoyed spending time with children, coaching Little League teams 
and giving away his candy to youngsters. 

When he started Wicky Wacky Taffy in 1990, "the kids would come around, and he 
had a great big barrel and he would give away the taffy," his mother said. "He was 
always giving it away." 

Other survivors include his father, Alfred Rodia of Kent; a daughter, Denise DelDuca; 
a son, A. Dennis Rodia Jr.; two brothers, Gary Dean Rodia of Federal Way and R. 
Michael Rodia of Salem, Ore.; 

and two grandchildren. 

Mr. Rodia's ashes were scattered in his garden at his home in Kent. No services were 
held. 

Seattle Times, The (WA) — Sunday, May 9, 1999
US Soc Sec Apps and Claims on ancestry as Dennis Alfred

Parents
RODIA Alfred Anthony (Fred) (13 Dec 1921 - 6 Dec 2008)
MACCHIA Geraldine L. ()

Siblings
RODIA Ralph Michael ()
RODIA Alfred Dennis (A. Dennis) (10 Jul 1941 - 23 Apr 1999)
RODIA Gary Dean ()

Marriage To JOHNSON Shirley Ann (1 Sep 1941 - 7 Feb 2006)
    m. 28 Feb 1999 Kent, King Co., Wash.

Notes

Parents
JOHNSON George Shelley ()
PHILLIPS Helen Jeanette ()

Children by JOHNSON Shirley Ann 1 Sep 1941 - 7 Feb 2006
RODIA Alfred Dennis (A. Dennis) ()
RODIA Denise ()

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