Roger Albert LaForge Jr.

Roger Albert LaForge, Jr., of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away on March 2, 2020 at St. Vincent Hospice in Indianapolis at the age of 71, after battling pulmonary fibrosis for about a year. Roger is survived by his wife, Jill Brown, his two sons, Jacob Anders LaForge and Timothy Hunter LaForge, his daughter-in-law, Emily LaForge, his grandson, Simon Francis LaForge, and his ex-wife, Meg Gano. He is predeceased by his father, Roger Albert LaForge, Sr. and his mother, Evelyn (Adkins) LaForge. Roger was born in Indianapolis on December 2, 1948. He grew up in the Eagledale area of Indy, just north of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He attended Indianapolis Public Schools #61 and #90 and graduated from Northwest High School in 1967. In 1971 he graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana with a BA in Political Science and a certificate in Urban Development. Roger was married to Meg Gano from 1970 to 1984 and they had two sons; Jacob Anders LaForge and Timothy Hunter LaForge, born in 1978 and 1982 respectively. Roger began his career at the National Labor Relations Board in 1971. He eventually became the Assistant Regional Director there and he retired on his 55th birthday in 2003. Roger met his wife, Jill Brown, when she was hired at the NLRB in 1977. They worked together for 24 years. Their friendship gradually developed into a romance and they were married in 2000. After they retired, Roger and Jill tried living in Las Vegas for a year, returning to Indianapolis for the spring and summer. Roger enjoyed planning a route to and from Nevada that would allow for stops at National Parks and other scenic places along the way, including, for example, The Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota, Cal’s Shade Western, a bar in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. In 2004, they began to spend their winters in the Hallandale Beach/Hollywood area in Florida. The condo they rented in Florida was very close to the cruise ship port and they went on eight Caribbean cruises. They also cruised to Alaska and to Monaco for the 2011 Grand Prix. In the winter of 2014 to 2015, they found a new place to get away from the cold—Isle of Palms and Mt. Pleasant near Charleston, South Carolina. At age 10, Roger got a “job” selling newspapers at the Indianapolis 500. He threw away the papers he was supposed to sell, and watched the race instead. Thus began a life-long love of Indycar racing, especially the 500. He only broke his streak of Indy 500’s when he and Jill went to the Monaco Grand Prix. Sadly, Roger missed the race last year, as his health took a turn for the worse that weekend. Roger loved basketball. As a kid, he played at the Municipal Gardens in Indianapolis and as an adult, starting in 1971, he coached basketball there for 33 years. He also coached one winter at the local recreation center in Isle of Palms. As much as he loved basketball, his first love, sports-wise, was baseball, and specifically the Chicago Cubs. He was grateful that he lived to see them win the World Series. Roger was a valued member of the NLRB softball team and he played on other softball teams as well in his younger days. Roger also loved horseracing and handicapping horse races. He and Jill picked their spot in Florida because it was close to Gulfstream Racetrack. Roger also loved collecting books, sports memorabilia, and other antiques. When he was still working, his job required quite a bit of traveling, and he would stop at antique stores throughout Indiana and northwestern Kentucky and add to his collection. In retirement, he continued to enjoy looking for “stuff” at the Swap Shop Flea Market (friends called it “The Schmutz”) in Florida and at Goodwill stores and flea markets in Indiana. From 2007 to 2019 Roger volunteered by caring for patients at the inpatient hospice where he spent his last few days. Roger was a really good cook and a great dancer. He spent quite a bit of time in bars, including, in no particular order, the Bamboo Beer Garden, the She Lounge, The Time-Out Lounge, The Recovery Room, The Elbow Room, Beachside Café, The Zoo Pub, The Bulldog Lounge, Pat Flynn’s, Connor’s Pub, and he loved to drink beer and talk to people. Roger was a funny, intelligent, loving, and considerate man and a great friend.