Lasting Memories

Richard Rockhold
1930-Sept. 4, 2006
Menlo Park, California

Richard "Dick" Rockhold of Menlo Park died Sept. 4 at Stanford Medical Center after a six-month battle with pulmonary hypertension. He was 76.

Mr. Rockhold was born in San Jose and grew up in Los Altos. He graduated from San Jose State University, where he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. In 1951 he married his high school sweetheart, Louise Jordan. After living in San Francisco for nearly 10 years, the couple moved to Menlo Park in 1963.

For more than 50 years, Mr. Rockhold worked in corporate finance and accounting. He went to work for Del Monte Foods in 1961 holding several executive accounting positions. In 1980 he was named vice president and chief financial officer until he retired from Del Monte in 1988. He later was associated with McCullough, Andrews & Capiello and as a consulting chief financial officer for several firms. He joined Pacific Printing and Fulfillment as a partner in 1993.

Mr. Rockhold was a president of the Financial Executives Institute of San Francisco, vice president of the World Trade Club, and a member of the advisory committees for the Woodside Methodist Church (at he corner of Woodside Road and Alameda de las Pulgas), Mills College and UC Berkeley. He volunteered hundreds of hours in support of the Woodside-Auxiliary to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. He and his wife, Louise, always volunteered their help on the annual Tally Ho benefit for the Packard Hospital.

Mr. Rockhold was a sports enthusiast, holding 49er season tickets since 1954. He enjoyed keeping fit and valued the friendships he made while skiing, cycling and going to the gym, say family members. He documented the many trips he and his wife made with his photographs.

A Dixieland jazz and Big Band fan, Mr. Rockhold had thousands of recordings, including a number of rare "78s," say family members. He and his wife traveled to many jazz festivals.

He is survived by his wife, Louise Rockhold of Menlo Park; children Craig Rockhold of Palo Alto, Janice Gibbons of San Jose, and David Rockhold of Beaverton, Oregon; and seven grandchildren.