Rodney graduated from American Academy of Funeral Service, New York, NY in 1964 and has been with the Cornell Memorial Home since 1965. He is president and owner of the Cornell Memorial Home Inc.
Rodney has made his home in Danbury since 1964. He and his wife, the late Wilma S. (Webb) Bourdeau, raised three children, Melissa Frish, Tania L. Porta, and Jason Bourdeau. He enjoys spending time with his children, and his seven active grandsons. Rodney is a parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Danbury and is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Connecticut Funeral Director's Association where he served as past president. He is a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner and a member of the Academy of Funeral Service Practitioners, Inc.
Rodney attended and graduated from Life Appreciation Training. The Life Appreciation concept may be defined as not only an individually developed ceremony that reflects the life characteristics of the deceased and other significant people in his life, but one that provides opportunities for the identification and acting out of feelings of grief and mourning as well as the method of procedure used by the Funeral Director to determine and suggest to the client the most helpful and appropriate ceremony. Rodney applies these concepts to each family he serves.