Roger Michel Theophile Cecile Marie Debels, age 93, passed from this life peacefully while surrounded by his family on July 6, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and statesman. Born on November 22, 1926, in Ghent, Belgium, as the fourth child to Julien Debels and Germaine Michels. He married Delia Rosaura Valdizan on December 18, 1954, in Washington, D.C. after meeting in an English language class.
A World War II veteran, he served in the Belgian Army, the Royal British Air Force and the Belgian Air Force. After the war, he was stationed in Washington, D.C. at The Embassy and Consulates of Belgium in the United States, building a career spanning more than 40 years. Upon retiring, he continued to serve as a Technical Agent and Archivist. His service to Belgium earned him several esteemed recognitions, including a royal decree Chevalier de L’ORDRE DE LEOPOLD II (1992) and one of Belgium’s highest honors – Chevalier de L’ORDRE DE LA COURONNE (2001).
Those fortunate enough to have met Roger immediately enjoyed sharing time with him, easily making you feel at ease with his polite and grateful demeanor. A talented cook, many of us will always remember his crepes, bananas foster and other wonderful cuisine from Belgium. He valued presentation as much as the food, evident in the creativity of his first course salad platter and assorted gourmet dishes. He enjoyed discussing politics and was always up on current events. And oh, did he love to fish – in the Potomac River, at Ocean City and finding shoreline to fish everywhere his daughter lived. Roger enjoyed watching wildlife whether it was birds, bunnies or deer, and he loved all his daughter’s pets: goldfish galore, Toots the parakeet, cats and dogs.
A true family man, he enjoyed many visits to Belgium and visiting his wife’s native country, Peru. Always a proud father, it was truly a special event to have his daughter selected to represent his home country as the Belgian princess in the Norfolk International Azalea Festival. As the family grew, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren taking plentiful photos and videos. It was a special experience to watch his grandson play soccer as a goalie – same position he played in “football!”
Roger is survived by his wife, Rosaura, daughter, Denyse Gisele (Erik) Peterson, and grandchildren, Julienne Lauren (Christopher) Mixis and Scott Spencer Peterson, his sister, Liliane Debels, and brother, Jean Pierre Debels.
The family is planning a Celebration of Life – one well lived – in November. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Virginia Hospital Center Foundation vhcfoundation.com (specifically, Hospital’s Greatest Need or Emergency Room fund).
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