Rodney (Rod) Ray Harkins, 48 of Kennewick, WA, passed away from cancer on March 10, 2026. He is very loved and already greatly missed.

Rod was born on October 17, 1977, and raised in Walla Walla, WA by his mom Audrey Harkins. He attended elementary school through High School in Walla Walla. He was a catcher for the Walla Walla baseball team. He walked onto the baseball team at Lewis-Clark State College but ended up hurting his shoulder. He transferred to Eastern Washington State University and joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He found his second family there. These brothers continued to be a huge part of his life: becoming his children's God Father, accompanying him at cancer treatments, and getting together on his birthday.

In 1999, during college, Rod also began working at United States Parcel Service. He continued to move up the ranks and retired from UPS 26 years later. Here, he also made lifelong friendships. He also met his wife Catherine while he was working at UPS.

Catherine and Rodney were married in 2002. They have three children: Aubree is 18, Hank is 16, and Cash is 13. Rod loved being a dad. He was so proud of each of his children. He was always present. When he was not working he was: coaching a baseball team, hunting, or cheering on Aubree. Each of his kids have his great sense of humor and big heart. Rod coached baseball teams for Hank and Cash for many years. In baseball, he met more amazing people that he was honored to call friends.

His mom was always a huge part of his life, from making meals for his fraternity brothers and watching her grandchildren.

Rod is also survived by his sister Janeen Webb. He was preceded in death by his loving grandparents.

Rod's funeral mass will be on March 18, 2026, at 11:00am at St Patrick's Catholic Church in Pasco, WA. The funeral reception will be at a ballfield, 861 Laporte Dr Pasco, at 6:00pm. Everyone is invited to come and celebrate Rod's life!

We have created a non-profit in Rod's honor. It is called Harkinstrong and it will fund sports-related scholarships to athletes that cannot otherwise afford it. Donations in his honor can accepted by check/cash or venmo @Catherine-Harkins-3 with the memo line "Harkinstrong."