Douglas Rockstead, an engineer for Tri-Pak Machinery Inc., Harlingen, Texas, has died.
Rockstead, who died May 9, was 80.
He grew up in Wisconsin but moved to south Texas after high school, working as a fireman for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He started at Tri-Pak as a draftsman and retired as chief engineer in 2003, working on vegetable packaging machinery design, installation and trouble-shooting, according to a statement from Tri-Pak.
James Fitzgerald, Tri-Pak’s vice president of sales and marketing, said Rockstead was one of the most talented self-taught engineers he’s met.
“Many of the principles in hydraulics, structures, electronics and programming that he had shared with me are things that I continue to use every day at work and even in my life,” Fitzgerald said in the statement. “He always seemed to have a different perspective in his problem solving, and would many times come up with solutions which no one else could see. He was a good friend and mentor.”
He worked with customers in Texas, Florida, California, Mexico, Canada, Nicaragua and China, learning different languages to communicate with customers, according to his obituary.
Dan Wetegrove, of Wetegrove Bros., a Raymondville, Texas, vegetable grower, met Rockstead after he retired from Tri-Pak, but came to know of Rockstead’s vast knowledge of packing equipment.
“Looking back on it all, I had always been impressed with his knowledge, curiosity and tenacity in solving a problem,” Wetegrove said in the statement. “He would not give up on solving any problem to do with produce machinery. His understanding of the fruit and vegetables that were to be packed on each machine was amazing in itself.”
Wetegrove said Rockstead lives on in the packing lines he was involved with.
Rockstead and his wife Santa started a business, Rockstead Precast Concrete, making picnic tables, statuary and other items, and their work can be seen around the Rio Grande Valley, according to his obituary.
Survivors include daughters Azucena Overman and Cecilia Papke, and sons Douglas and Ronald Rockstead.
A service will be July 4 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Harlingen. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a GoFundMe account to cover medical expenses.
