Louis Roddy Sanger

Roddy Sanger, 80, of Round Rock, Texas, passed away at home after courageously fighting Multiple System Atrophy for seven years. He was a cherished husband, Dad, Pa, and brother whose strength throughout his illness was nothing short of remarkable.

A lifelong and proud resident of Waco, Texas, Roddy was born in Galveston to Marjorie Sanger and Philip Sanger. He graduated from Richfield High School in 1964 and went on to attend Trinity University in San Antonio. In 1967, he began his service with the National Guard Air Force Reserve. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in 1970. While attending SMU, Roddy met the love of his life, Elizabeth, in 1968 at the Sherwood Forest Apartments in Dallas. Roddy and Elizabeth were married in Dallas in February 1971, just before he began his studies at Baylor University’s School of Law, where he graduated in 1973. They welcomed their daughter, Jennifer, in 1974 and their son, Philip, in 1980, and together built a loving marriage that spanned more than fifty‑five years.

In the summer of 1964, Roddy took his first job at a service station, unknowingly beginning a lifelong love of cars that stayed with him all the way to his last days. He practiced law for a short time, but Roddy soon realized it wasn’t his true path. His heart—and his talent—belonged to entrepreneurship. Roddy shifted into real estate, becoming a broker and hiring several of his mother’s close friends as agents. After reading a book that taught him how to build homes, he began building them himself—among them the beloved split‑level on Edinburgh in Waco where he and Elizabeth raised Jennifer and Philip. The pool, the deck, the grill, and Roddy himself, cigar in hand, walking through the shallow end, defined countless Texas summers for family and friends. In 1979, he recognized a growing need for student housing at TSTC and brought that vision to life by building and managing the Sherwood Forest Apartments in Lacy Lakeview—named after the Dallas complex where he met Elizabeth. By 1983, he sold the apartments. He went on to purchase a shopping center, by forty, considered retired, though his energy and drive made “retirement” a generous term.

Roddy refused to let anyone else repair anything. If something was broken, he was under it, on it, or fixing it himself and more often than not, he succeeded. And if a friend called needing help, you knew he’d show up in a heartbeat, ready to tackle whatever needed fixing.

He was a fierce racquetball player whose serve, his friends will tell you, sounded like a shotgun. He played at Spenco, where he enjoyed a sandwich that even carried his name on the menu. He later became a fixture at WRS, playing racquetball and walking in the pool. He loved fishing at Lake Fork and kept a trailer there, and he enjoyed taking his boat out on Lake Waco. Roddy loved cars, especially his 1966 Marina Blue Corvette. In his sixties, he took up golf so he could spend more time with his brother Philip, eventually becoming a fixture at Ridgewood Country Club. Along the way, he somehow managed two holes‑in‑one. He made many close friends at Ridgewood and loved eating at the club or having a drink at the 19th hole. He cherished his time with his golf buddies and played until he no longer could. Roddy was all in on everything he did—giving up was never his style

Elizabeth and Roddy shared decades of friendship with Lesley and Bill Martinelli, marked by Fourth of July gatherings, trips to the Texas coast, and vacations in Naples, Florida, almost every year.

Even in his final months, Roddy was still truck and Corvette shopping, always looking for the next thing to love. He was still planning dinners out and searching for cars for Elizabeth. He always looked forward to Saturdays with his brother, Philip. He fished with him until the disease made it impossible, and then their Saturdays became lunch instead, time together he never stopped cherishing. He had a great sense of humor, and he kept it until the very end. He loved his family fiercely and was always looking out for them; he was their rock. To his grandchildren, he was lovingly “Pa”, and they were a joy to him.

Roddy loved life and lived it with passion and integrity.

Roddy is survived by his loving wife of fifty‑five years, Elizabeth; his daughter Jennifer Sanger Miller and her husband, Shawn; his son Philip Sanger and his wife, Lauren; and his grandchildren Allison and Drew Miller, and Leighton and Will Sanger. He is also survived by his brother Dr. Philip Sanger and his wife, Bea; his sister Joan Sanger and her husband, JJ Hradecky; his brother‑in‑law Jim Allen and his wife, Joyce; and his sister‑in‑law Jeanne Dunlap and her husband, Dave Markel; and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.

A heartfelt thank you to his brother Philip for his unwavering efforts, support, and love until the very end. The family also offers heartfelt thanks to his steadfast lifelong friends, Fred Chozick and Bill Martinelli. The family extends special thanks to Carlos, Roddy’s caregiver this past year, for his loyalty, compassion, and exceptional care.

A private celebration of Roddy’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to support MSA research through Mission MSA. Donations may be made using the link provided below.