Rodney was born in Burlington, Vermont, on March 4, 1930, to Walter and Catherine Stewart Tourville. He leaves behind his wife and best friend Carolyn Ferguson Tourville, his brother Stewart Tourville, sons Rodney Tourville (Kennita) and Raymond Tourville (Donna), daughters Theresa Harmon (James) and Tina Wade, along with numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Michael Tourville, and his sister Connie Young, as well as a beloved grandson, SSGT Raymond G. Tourville, USMC.

Rodney served four years in the Navy aboard the Destroyer USS Thomas E Fraser, after which he went on to serve 16 years in the U.S. Air Force. After 20 years military service, he completed 22 years as a night facilities manager at IBM in Burlington before retiring and moving to Tennessee.

Rodney was a talented woodcrafter, designing and building birdhouses, jewelry boxes, miniature churches, nativities, and many other unique woodcrafts. Becoming sought-after at local craft fairs, Rodney was known as “the veteran with the birdhouses" in Fairview, Tennessee. He loved viewing wildlife from his deck and caring for the many wild deer and turkeys that roamed his backyard. More than anything, Rodney’s favorite hobby was fishing, and while he enjoyed time at local fishing lakes near his home, he always looked forward to his twice-a-year trip to the bayous of Louisiana for this favorite pastime.

When Rodney enlisted in the Navy at age 18, he did not realize he would begin a legacy which would come to include generations of younger brothers, children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren following in his footsteps and enlisting in various branches of the U.S. military. These family members plan to travel to Tennessee—along with many extended family members and friends—to remember and honor Rodney at his interment service scheduled for April 22, 2026, at 1 PM at the Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery in Pegram, Tennessee.