He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 1, 1948. Roger graduated from Oakland University with a degree in business. He began a career in software engineering for ACT Computing, co-founded Fastech Corporation, and retired from Lear Corporation.
He was married to Margaret (Vickers) on June 18, 1972. They built a home in Rochester Hills where they raised their daughter Amy and enjoyed 49 years together. He was proud to be a silly grandfather to his two granddaughters, Maggie and Tess.
Roger was a kind, generous, and loving man. His life was focused on loving his family, welcoming others into his home, and traveling often. He enjoyed boat rides and bonfires on Torch Lake, motorcycle bike weeks with his buddies, and laughing with a great circle of family and friends.
He leaves behind wife Margaret, daughter Amy, son-in-law Dan Chenoweth and granddaughters Maggie and Tess of White Lake, his brother Gordon Lee Jelsma of Grand Rapids, mother-in-law Dorothy Walter of Alden, a large extended family, the Torch Lake Group, and a great number of close friends.
A visitation will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, at Pixley Funeral Home. A eulogy will be at 2 p.m. Following the visitation, a Celebration of Life gathering will be held at Roger’s home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Roger’s honor to the Rochester Area Neighborhood House (ranh.org) or the Grass River Natural Area Preserve in Bellaire, Michigan (GrassRiver.org).
