Weston A. Roe, USAF Retired

Colonel Weston A. Roe, USAF Retired, also known as 'Rick' to his family and friends passed away peacefully in his sleep at home in Lakeway, TX on Monday, February 8, 2016 at the age of 85. He had a long, wonderful life and is now at home with our father in heaven. 'Rick' was an amazing husband and father, loving his family unconditionally.

He was born on July 12, 1930 in Jamestown, ND, the first of eight children born to Inez Elnora Zimmerman and Arthur Leonard Roe. He grew up on the family farm which was located in Stutsman County, Deer Lake Township, west of Buchanan, ND. He is survived by his treasured wife of 58 years, Shirley Lanier Roe, his three children, Elise Roe, Eric Roe and his wife Beth, Cara Jacquin and her husband Carl, his five grandsons, Justin Salinas, Austen Muniz, Caleb Roe, Nicholas Jacquin and Matthew Jacquin, all of the Lakeway/Austin, TX area.

The love of speed, adventure and the desire to fly drew him to the Air Force. He enlisted in 1951 and soon was off to flight training school. After completion of this training he received his wings in the class of 52D at Vance AFB in Enid, OK. He was now an officer in the USAF, an Aviation Cadet. He served two tours of duty in Korea. With his first tour in 1953 to fly reconnaissance missions out of Kimpo, Korea, near Seoul during the Korean War. He loved the people of Korea and chose to go back in 1970 for a second tour. Also, while in the Air Force, he completed his BS in Electrical Engineering with honors from Texas Tech University in 1959 and his MS in Electrical Engineering with honors from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1966. He also received many military decorations during his career, including the United Nations Korea Medal, Legion of Merit Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, USAF Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal, USAF Command Pilot Wings, Missile Badge, Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Award, Air Force Longevity Service Award, and Eagles for his promotion to Colonel. One of his most exciting adventures while in the Air Force was when he went down in a two-man submarine into the icy waters off Greenland in search of a Broken Arrow. He was interviewed for a story covering Broken Arrows on the History Channel that aired on November 12, 2001. He served just over 23 years, retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1974.

Rick was an incredibly humble man. While being in the Air Force gave him a multitude of opportunities that career never defined him. He went on to have a 2nd career in the computer industry that spanned another 24 years working at NCR, Data General, Motorola, Tandem Computers and Applied Materials, finally retiring in 1998 at the age of 68. He met many friends working in the high tech industry, friends that today will tell you that he was an inspiration and role model. They would go running together at lunch even after he had run earlier in the morning before daybreak. He even ran a couple of marathons in his fifties. Running, photography, reading the bible and listening to classical music were his favorite pastimes.

Family and friends valued his quiet reserved demeanor, his strength of character, his wisdom, his humility, his smile, his devotion, his faithfulness and infinite patience. Rick had such a kind gentle spirit and truly had a servant's heart. His riches are in heaven. We will miss him dearly, but know that he is in a better place. We would like to thank our family and friends for all of their support through the years as our sweet husband and father fought a courageous battle with Parkinson's disease. And, a special thank you to the Southwest Group from University Avenue Church of Christ that have been together for over 35 years supporting and loving each other.

A celebration of life ceremony will be on Sunday, February 14th at 4:00 pm at Weed-Corley-Fish Event Center at 411 Ranch Road 620 South. A reception will follow immediately for all to celebrate Rick's life. A graveside service will be held at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, TX at a date TBD. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014 or online at michaeljfox.org.