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Benefit For Soddy Daisy Drowning Victim

1,101 views · Published 27 July 2012 · 2:20 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2012 · News & Politics

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Visitation was held Wednesday for the 30-year-old man who drowned Sunday morning in Soddy Daisy.Rescue crews found Rodney Miller's body on the bottom of Big Soddy Creek.As the close-knit community prepares to say their goodbyes, we spoke with one of Rodney's closest friends today on how he's being remembered.Rodney is described as being somewhat of a father-figure in the neighborhood.Word spread quickly of his drowning, and as his childhood friend explains, it was a shock to those who knew him because he'd gone swimming at that exact place many times."He was out with a complete of his friends that normally hang around here, and they just went out there. It's routine, something we've done probably a million times from growing up as kids, and it was just the wrong night," said Rodney's childhood friend, Steve Matherly.And the rescue lasted into the morning.As the news spread through the tight-knit Soddy Daisy neighborhood, family friends like Steve Matherly were in disbelief.Rodney and his family live across from the main pathway, which leads to the creek where he drowned."They had went earlier that day and they were fine, it rained again while they were out, and I don't think they took that into account," said Matherly.Now, Steve says the community is left without one of its strongest supporters.He says Rodney could make anyone laugh and he was a huge fan of rock music. Especially when it came to his younger brother's band, which is playing a benefit concert Wednesday night in Rodney's honor."Rodney was at every show, every practice, and that's one of the reasons why he is probably going to be able to perform tonight for the benefit because he knows that's what his brother would have wanted for him," said Matherly.And Steve says there's just one other thing that Rodney would have wanted, "that's one of the things he would have definitely wanted you to know, he was a Soddy boy."Rodney worked for a paving company and didn't have insurance.That's why all of the money from Wednesday's concert will go towards funeral expenses.The band goes on at 10:00 p.m. at the Electric Cowboy, and it's .00 to get in.By Natalie Jenereski

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