Rod Huntress

Roderick “Rod” Lowell Huntress III, died peacefully at his home in Seattle on October 23, 2025, with his partner, Kimberly (Kinchen) Huntress-Inskeep, by his side, following a brief battle with cancer.

Born in Portland, Maine, to Roderick Lowell Huntress, Jr. and Beverly (Arthur) Huntress, Rod lived a life marked by curiosity, courage, and a keen sense of humor.

The family lived in several New England states before settling in Glen Ellyn, IL in 1971. In 1973, the summer between 8th and 9th grade, Rod discovered his lifelong passion for cycling when he completed a 6-week long group bicycle trek across England and Scotland. He prepared himself for the trek by reading English history books and studying maps of the U.K. — and by loading his bike into the family car, where, eyes covered with a makeshift blindfold, he asked his mom to drive him increasingly long distances to random locations to practice navigating his way home. Rod left for the U.K. a boy and returned home a much taller, more confident, and even more accomplished young man. The trip sparked a passion for medieval history and a lifelong love of cycling.

Rod graduated in 1977 from Glenbard West High School. He chose to attend Vassar College after seeing a game of human chess on the campus green during a tour. Always a voracious reader, when Rod came home for the holidays after his first semester, he carried a small backpack and a large suitcase. Appropriately rationed for his two-week visit, the backpack held his clothes and the suitcase was filled with books. He graduated cum laude in 1981 with a BA in Medieval Studies.

Rod built a distinguished career as a producer and writer for CNN in New York and London. He later contributed his skills to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, and Médecins Sans Frontières, and many other NGO and nonprofit organizations.

A marriage to Christine Niles ended in divorce.

During the Occupy Wall Street movement in the wake of the 2007 financial crisis, Rod was one of the many who took a supporting role at Zucotti Park in 2011. There he discovered an interest and talent in nonviolent communication. He subsequently became a certified mediator through the New York Peace Institute. Rod had the rare gift of being able to ask the kinds of questions that guided people to arrive at their own answers, bringing calm wisdom and quiet humor to the complex work of conflict resolution. After his move to Seattle in 2015, Rod continued his work in communications for various humanitarian organizations and volunteered his mediation skills before taking on professional mediation work with the King County Dispute Resolution Center.

A working member of the Park Slope Food Co-op, he would later become a daily presence and valued member of Seattle’s Central Co-op, and an integral member of his residential community at The Marquis Cooperative, where he served in several board roles over the years.

Rod alternately supported or volunteered for a number of active transportation organizations in Seattle and New York. He joined the many residents of New York City who mustered the power and flexibility of their bicycles to aid in disaster relief after Hurricane Sandy ravaged so much of the city in the fall of 2012. In Seattle he worked with the organizers of the Bicycle Disaster Relief Trials, and contributed time to many other allied organizations.

Buddhist and Quaker practices were where Rod sought and found much of his spiritual sustenance. He practiced meditation with Buddhist or Buddhist-adjacent groups, and was involved with efforts grounded in Quaker principles to provide mutual support to colleagues engaged in the demanding field of the helping professions.

In his free time, he spent hours photographing street scenes in the cities where he lived, enjoyed long bikepacking tours, including completing the challenging Bitterroot Loop in Idaho and Montana despite a torn rotator cuff injury sustained just before the trip started. Rod found relaxation in cooking, where his interests reflected his wide-ranging curiosity and appreciation for cultures and history.

He shared his home and generous heart with his partner Kimberly and their two cats, AliceLynx Kaleo, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Rod will be remembered for his steady presence, sharp wit, and compassionate heart.

He is also survived by his sisters Kate Huntress (Scott Beatty) and Caroline Huntress (Jeff Reinfelder), both of Yarmouth, Maine; Kate’s children, Nick Richmond (Devandy Walbridge), Olivia Richmond, and Julia Beatty, and step-children Caroline Beatty (Kevin King) and Adam Beatty (Megan); Caroline’s children, Alessandro Chillé (Kathleen), Sophia Cleveland (Ben), Rachel Tomaschek (Mark) and step-daughter, Paige Reinfelder; and several grand-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents.

A memorial is planned for late spring 2026. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the following organizations:

Bike Works (3709 S Ferdinand St, Seattle, WA 98118)

Transit Riders Union (P.O. Box 20723, Seattle, WA 98102)