October 15, 1954 - February 15, 2022
Rod Chard was living in the state of Washington when he became legally blind due to childhood diabetes. He became an active member of the Washington Council of the Blind. In the mid-1990s, he moved to Colorado with his wife, Ellen, and they joined the Mile High Chapter of the American Council of the Blind of Colorado. The two of them served tirelessly for the chapter and state until Ellen passed away in August 2007.
Rod served as president and then chairman of the board after ACBCO reorganized to meet IRS requirements. Rod was also a long-time member of ACB Diabetics in Action.
The Chards attended many national conventions. If you wanted to find him, you would look in the ACBCO or WCB delegations. Rod was one of the very first members to participate in the coffee socials when the ACB Community meetings were launched in 2021.
After Rod’s kidney transplant, he also participated in the Transplant Games of America.
We lost Rod to COVID-19 in February 2022. He has been and will be missed by many.