Rodney Marshall Gillespie, 73, St. Joseph and a former resident of Albany, passed away March 3, 2015 in St. Joseph. Rod was born December 28, 1941 to Dale M. and Bernice Bridges Gillespie in rural Albany. He attended the Pleasant Valley country school as a boy & was a graduate of Albany R-III High School in 1960. Rod obtained a degree in Business Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Rod was engaged in farming and had a custom spraying operation for many years until the farm crisis of the last 1980's. During the 1970's and early 80's he also owned and operated a Sears Catalog Store and Gillespie Automotive. In addition, Rod held a real estate broker's license and sold real estate for Scott & Gillespie Real Estate, then Gillespie Real Estate, Albany and later Prudential Summers Real Estate, St. Joseph. Rod had many, many friends. He never knew a stranger and he helped many in numerous ways. The many visitors shortly before his death are a real illustration of the kind of man he was. He always made comments such as, "If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all", "Right's right and what's wrong's wrong." One of his favorite sayings to his beloved daughters was, "Make straight tracks." He was a "people person", loved sports & the Statler Brothers. He was a Missouri Tiger fan & headed the NW MASA District for several years which raised athletic scholarship funds. For many years he contributed to the Tiger Table, was a season ticket holder, and expected his twin girls to attend MU. Education was a priority for himself and his family. Rod was a wonderful father to his twin girls. To them, he was a symbol of strength, hard work, dedication, strong values, and building relationships with everyone around you-no matter who the person might be. Rod was preceded in death by his parents, a sister Judith Gillespie & a granddaughter Ruby Kate Wells. Survivors include his wife Nancy VanHoozer Gillespie of 44 years, daughters Tonya McCrea and Tara (Scott) Wells, grandsons Cash McCrea and Jesse Wells; granddaughter Whitney Kate Wells; nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral Service: 11:00 AM Friday, March 6 at the Roberson-Polley Chapel, Albany with burial in the Grandview Cemetery, Albany. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the funeral service on Friday at the chapel, where friends may call anytime after 8:00 AM Friday morning. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Ruby Kate Wells Memorial Fund for Needy Children-a memorial established in 2008 in honor of Rod's first granddaughter, Ruby Kate Wells. This memorial is used to provide educational field trips for high poverty children in the St. Joseph School District and is overseen by the family.