Retired Polk County Circuit Judge Neil Roddenbery dies at 68

Former Circuit Judge Neil Roddenbery recently died at age 68, four years after a diagnosis of progressive dementia.

Roddenbery died at Grace Manor Memory Care in Lakeland, according to an obituary published in The Ledger.

A 1974 graduate of Lakeland High School, Roddenbery earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State University and then a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida College of Law.

Roddenbery spent two years with the Lakeland Police Department before joining the State Attorney's Office, the obituary said. It was there that he met Stacey Sidwell, who became his wife of nearly 40 years.

He joined the Fowler White law firm in 1986 and left three years later to form Crawford Roddenbery with Sid Crawford. He joined the Gray Harris firm, now known as GrayRobinson, in 1998.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Roddenbery in 2005 as a circuit court judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit, based in Bartow, and he never faced an election challenge. He worked in the felony division for years before moving to the family court division.

In March 2020, Roddenbery approached Chief Judge Ellen Masters to disclose his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, The Ledger reported. Masters submitted a letter of involuntary retirement, which included a letter from Roddenbery agreeing with her request.

Roddenbery is survived by his wife, mother, children and grandchildren, as well as two sisters and a brother, the obituary said. A service is scheduled for Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Lakeland.

His family requests that contributions be made to the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org or by a check payable to the Alzheimer’s Association (note Roddenbery memorial) and mailed to 14010 Roosevelt Blvd Ste 709; Clearwater, FL 33762.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.