Rod Williamson is gone from this world, but his memory is burning brightly in the hearts of the many promotional products professionals he befriended during his more than 30 years in the industry.

Williamson, a multi-line rep, passed away unexpectedly in August at age 65. He’d only recently retired, friends say. Industry colleagues told Counselor that the avid outdoorsman was on a trip in Canada doing what he loved most: fishing. Official details weren’t available, but indications from friends are that Williamson passed on in his sleep. “At least he was in his favorite place, doing what he loved,” Mike Rodin, a friend of Williamson’s and owner of Des Moines, IA-based distributor IMPACT Promotional Marketing (asi/230181), told Counselor.

Williamson was most recently a partner in the Missouri-based multi-line firm MW Reps, which represents suppliers in a Midwestern territory that includes Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. It wasn’t uncommon for the road warrior sales professional to travel to 30 to 35 trade shows in a year. In face-to-face discussions with distributors at the shows and elsewhere, the outgoing, always affable Williamson shined. “He helped me and countless other distributors in the Upper Midwest with his incredible industry knowledge and ability to tell great stories that tied products to how various end-users benefited from each idea,” says Rodin, noting Williamson’s past experience included Cannon Marketing Group and Drake Marketing, the latter of which Williamson owned.

Speaking candidly, Rodin admitted he was still smarting from the loss of his friend and valued colleague. “Rod had just got a brand new puppy. We were texting dog videos a few days before he passed, so it really caught me off guard because he was so vibrant and excited in the videos,” says Rodin.

Despite the pain, Williamson’s friends within the promo products industry were fondly recollecting the positive impact that Williamson had on their lives. “I met Rod through the promotional products industry more than 25 years ago,” says Doug Mercer of the Kansas-based multi-line firm Mercer Enterprises. “What started out as a business acquaintance grew over the years to the point that I considered Rod one of my very best friends. Rod introduced me to turkey hunting about 15 years ago. To this day, hunting turkey is one of my favorite past times. We spent many hours hunting together, talking and laughing.”

Chris Clark, an Iowa/Nebraska territory manager for Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863), remembers Williamson as a fun-loving jokester with an entertaining sense of sarcasm and a heart of gold. “When I first started as a territory manager, the initial activity was a trade show for which I knew no other reps and barely had a good grasp on what I was doing at all,” Clark told Counselor. “Rod made a point to come over to me to introduce himself. He then took me around the room, introducing me to other reps that I might see on the road so I had familiar faces around me as I traveled…That tells you a lot about Rod. He was a great guy, and I was happy to have known him.”

Close-friend Mercer echoes the sentiment. “Rod was one of the most fun-loving people I have ever met,” Mercer told Counselor. “He would light up a room with his smile and laughter. Rod loved life to the fullest. I will dearly miss him.”