By Lauren McSherry

Roodhouse

Army Spc. Edwin W. Roodhouse, a former Silicon Valley high-tech worker, died Dec. 5 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee in Iraq. He was 36.

Roodhouse, a San Jose resident, leaves behind his mother and stepfather, Joy and Dinesh Desai of Los Altos; and his father and stepmother, Alan and Donna Roodhouse, who reside in McMinnville, Ore.

Roodhouse and Staff Sgt. Marvin L. Trost III were on patrol in an up-armored Humvee when an improvised explosive device hit the vehicle, said Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd. Both were killed.

The two soldiers belonged to the 1st Batallion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. They were driving on a road near Al-Habbaniyah, a city in central Iraq about 50 miles west of Baghdad that is part of the Sunni Triangle, a region where coalition forces have faced continuous fighting with insurgents. Roodhouse was a passenger in the vehicle.

Roodhouse joined the Army Aug. 20, 2002. He was formerly stationed at Camp Greaves in Korea.

Funeral services were scheduled Saturday at St. James Catholic Church in McMinnville.

Because of his love of storytelling and writing, Roodhouse’s family has established a scholarship in his name for seniors in the English department at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Community members may make donations to the Edwin William Roodhouse Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o John Cervini, Hillsdale College, 33 East College, Hillsdale, MI 49242.