Rodney “Rod” Wayne Zweygardt, 64, of St. Francis, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, June 28, 2026, in Hays, Kansas.
He was born March 20, 1962, in St. Francis, Kansas, the fourth of four boys born to Ray H. and Grace (Bofman) Zweygardt.
Rod was baptized at the St. Francis United Methodist Church, as an infant, where he remained a member until his death.
Rod attended St. Francis public schools and graduated from St. Francis Community High School with the class of 1980. He then attended Northwest Kansas Area Vocational Technical School in Goodland, where he graduated in August 1981 from the Farm and Diesel Mechanics program.
On August 14, 1982, he married Vera Brumitt. After a short time living in southwest Kansas, the couple moved back to St. Francis, where they built a life and spent more than 45 years together.
He worked on the family farm and for Zweygardt and Son’s Trucking, but returned to the automotive industry, where he worked for almost 40 years.
Growing up as one of four boys, they were always working on something with an engine. He competed in demolition derbies, raced motorcycles and go-karts and spent many nights racing stock cars at the local dirt tracks.
Rod also earned his private pilot’s license, was a member of the Cheyenne County Jaycee’s and served as a 4-H leader in rocketry and small gas engines.
He was an extremely skilled mechanic, working for more than a decade at auto dealerships for all three major vehicle brands, and became a Master Certified Ford Mechanic. He also worked in the agricultural irrigation industry for close to 10 years. He then began working for a company in the natural gas industry, where he became a Certified Caterpillar Mechanic. After more than a decade in the natural gas fields, health-related issues forced him to step away. He worked as a mechanic in St. Francis and as a parts technician in Oakley before his health forced him into retirement.
During retirement, he continued to work in his shop, creating metal projects and gifts for his family.
Rod is survived by his wife Vera Zweygardt of St. Francis; his sons Jonathan Zweygardt of Hays and Ethan (Shawnee) Zweygardt of WaKeeney; two brothers; a brother-in-law; three sisters-in-law and several nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Ray H. and Grace Zweygardt, and brother Randy Zweygardt.
A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 3, 2026, at United Methodist Church, 512 S. Scott St., St. Francis, Kansas.
Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery, 1539 Road P, St. Francis, Kansas.
Memorials can be sent to the Knodel Funeral Home, 202 S Benton St., St Francis, KS 67756.