Roger was the son of the late Warren G. Harding Church and Ruth Pope Church. He was born March 8, 1951 in Davidson County. He was married to Gwendolyn Dula Church for forty two years. Roger was a man of great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As is said in Colossians 3:12, "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." This was evident throughout his life and his marriage. This is the kind of man he was.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Rick Church, two half-brothers, Wayne Church and Tommy Dean Church, and a brother-in-law, Darrell Young.
He was a graduate of Granite Falls High School and was employed by Ethan Allen of Maiden, NC and retired in 2015 due to Parkinson's disease. He was a member of Mount Hermon United Methodist Church where he served on a variety of committees and always enjoyed serving the Lord by singing in the choir. Fishing was one of the things he always loved, especially fishing at the Outer Banks and Jordan Lake. Roger grew up skating in his family-owned skating rink in Granite Falls. He and Gwen enjoyed many trips to Myrtle Beach, as well as traveling to Hawaii, the Bahamas and Martha’s Vineyard.
Survivors, in addition to his wife of the home, include a brother, Gerald Church and wife Lynn of Winston Salem; a sister, Kathy Young of Connelly Springs; a sister-in-law, Diann Church of Hickory; three nephews, Travis Young of Connelly Springs, David Church of Granite Falls, and Marc Church of Granite Falls; and four nieces, Allison Lepage of Michigan, Susan May of Winston Salem, Julie Peters of Hickory, and Tammy Bright of Connelly Springs.
A funeral service conducted by Rev. Tracy Love will be held at Mount Hermon United Methodist Church on Alfred Hartley Road in Lenoir on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. Burial will follow the service in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service, from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the church.
The family wishes to extend special thanks to Caldwell UNC Healthcare for their care and to Amorem Hospice in Hudson. You are appreciated. Thank you to Bill Monagham and Elizabeth Crump for excellent caregiving assistance.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mount Hermon United Methodist Church at PO Box 625 Hudson, NC 28645, Amorem Hospice at 902 Kirkwood Street, Lenoir, NC 28645, or to the Parkinson's Foundation at www.parkinson.org.
Words of comfort may be expressed to the family at www.pendrysfuneralhome.com.
Pendry’s Lenoir Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Roger “Buster” Dale Church.