Roderick Ivory Sweet

Roderick Ivory Sweet, 89, a resident of Kimball Farms Retirement Community in Lenox, MA, died on March 21, 2017. Mr. Sweet was born in 1928 in Providence, RI, the son of Russell Herndon Sweet and Grace Stanley MacDonald Sweet. He graduated from Pawtucket East (RI) Senior High School in 1946. After high school, Mr. Sweet served a tour of duty in the U.S. Army in the Far East. Upon completing his military commitment, he was accepted at Brown University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951. He then joined the Clandestine Service of the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. His 35 year career as an Operations Officer with the CIA, encompassed a variety of assignments at the Agency’s Washington headquarters and tours of duty abroad in Southeast Asia, including Saipan, Thailand and the Philippines. Interspersed among these tours were numerous temporary duty assignments to the Far East and Western Europe. In 1952, Mr. Sweet married Joan B. Thomson, a resident of Saylesville, RI, and over the years they had four children. Mr. Sweet’s family accompanied him throughout his many overseas assignments. Mr. Sweet and his wife divorced in 1975. He later married Sheilah G. Stewart, a friend from their grade school days. They settled on a timber farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the village of Washington, VA. From there they traveled extensively around the world, visiting some 60 countries. During his years in the mountains, Mr. Sweet served as a volunteer in the Washington Fire and Rescue Squad, primarily as a fundraiser. In addition to traveling, his interests included living in the country, harvesting timber, gardening and mountain climbing. When Mrs. Sweet was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2001, the Sweets moved to Kimball Farms to be close to necessary medical facilities. She died in 2005. During his years at Kimball Farms, Mr. Sweet completed writing and publishing his autobiography, which focused primarily on his years with the CIA. Mr. Sweet is survived by four children, eight grandchildren, and by two nephews, Peter S. Goff and Bradford Y. Goff. His daughter, Deborah Silverthorn, was of great comfort to him both before, and during, his stay at Sunset Nursing Center. His dear and loving companion at Kimball Farms, Jane Westenberg, also survives. Burial arrangements will be private.