Roger Jeffrey Thornburg

Roger J. Thornburg, self-proclaimed Homerun King of Anderson, Indiana, was born on December 11, 1948, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Bob Staley and Mary Joan Martin. On May 17, Roger left us early so he could ink more commercial real estate deals from above. Raised until high school in Anderson, he spent his remaining years in Michigan. He enlisted in the US Army after high school and proudly served as a sergeant in South Korea on the DMZ. After his return, he married Teresa (Teri) Sink and graduated from Michigan State University. He eventually found his niche in real estate investment.

He is survived by Teri; his son, Aaron Thornburg and his wife, Breezy Griffith, of Seattle; his daughter, Amanda Thornburg of Okemos; and Marc Jurcisin, son-in-law, of Okemos. Also surviving are his two beautiful granddaughters, Jordan Jurcisin and Scottie Griffith.

At his insistence, there will be no service. Anyone wishing to honor him can head to their local watering hole, take a seat (then ask to be moved to a better seat), order a Negroni, tip that drink to the sky, and, finally, overtip your waitstaff. We’d welcome you to make a contribution to either On The Ground Impact (www.otg-impact.org), an NGO founded and managed by his son; or the Capitol Area Humane Society where his daughter serves as a board member.