Roger Anson MacEwen

Roger Anson MacEwen passed away on June 3, 2026 at 6:52 pm. Born on June 18, 1939, he is survived by his wife, Lynn; and his brother and sister: Willard MacEwen (Hazel) and Suzzane Collins (Drew). He was predeceased by parents, Mary Elaine Bacha MacEwen and Lewis William MacEwen, and brothers Lee, Francis, and Lewis Jon (Mac). Roger and his wife, Lynn, were married April 6, 1968 . Although Roger and Lynn never had children, his brothers and sister all have families and a cherished bevy of nieces and nephews to remember his life. Roger was one of the good guys…the person you could always depend upon; industrious when necessary; a person of quiet strength; a person of great integrity. If he gave you his word, it meant something. He took pride in that and always did his best to be a good human being. His integrity was real and he lived his life with humor, resilience, and dependability.

As a member of the Army National Guard, he was called up during the 2nd Berlin Crisis (1955 – 1958) and trained as a medic at Ft. Polk In Louisiana. Although the conflict ended without requiring him to deploy, he later became a dedicated member of the Florida Air National Guard and proudly served over 20 years before he retired as a Master Sergeant. His service in the Florida Air National Guard was a source of great pride and personal fulfillment.

Roger’s sister (born in 1951 and the youngest child) remembers him as a young man and her big brother. He teased her and also gave her the first of her paying jobs at an early age…at minimum salary (of course) for polishing his shoes, ironing his shirts, and waxing his beloved car, a Barracuda. And he was generous with his time, taking his younger siblings to a swimming hole, drive-in movies, fishing, the Circus.

Roger loved the idea of serving others. He was intrigued with the story of a ship called the SS Hope, operated by Project HOPE. It was the world's first peacetime hospital ship, serving from 1960 to 1974. Today, the "HOPE" name continues through Project HOPE, a global health charity operating land-based missions. In keeping with his nurturing ways, when Roger joined the military, he became a medic.

Roger’s civilian career choices started when he was the manager of a Jacksonville bowling alley (Gator Lanes in Brentwood owned by Hy Kliman) where he and Lynn met in 1966. He became an apprentice mold maker at Anchor Hocking Glass in Jacksonville and worked there until the company offered him a managerial position in one of their northern locations. Even though he was born in New York, his family had moved to Florida when he was only three months old, and he was a Florida boy, through and through. So he (and Lynn, also a Florida girl) decided to stay in Jacksonville.

He became a longtime employee of Radco Distributors in Jacksonville, a family-owned wholesale business specializing in lawn mower and small engine parts, serving retailers throughout Florida and Georgia, and continued in the small engine and parts business until his retirement in 2000.

But his first love was always the Florida Air National Guard as well as the history of WWII. He and his brother Mac volunteered as weekend docents at the Camp Blanding Museum, near Starke, FL. This was a joy for him, and he maintained his volunteer service for many years. It was his true vocation to be a docent and to share his love of WWII and Camp Blanding’s history in one of the last remaining barracks buildings, preserved as an honored relic of a time long past and gloriously remembered as one of the unique treasures of our area. Today, the Camp Blanding Museum remains active and is a tribute to a storied history.

While at the museum, Roger met a young college student, Shannon, who was making a life-size display of a World War II medical station (a precursor to the later MASH units) as her graduate class project. In a very short time, Shannon became like a granddaughter to him, and she brought along her sister, Lindsey; and their mother and dad, Flora and Billy; as well as her dear friend Kathryn. They have remained precious and cherished friends to this day and have enriched his life in countless ways. He and Lynn were included in Shannon’s wedding as honorary grandparents, an honor that he and Lynn treasured.

In the last few years of his life, Roger’s health declined but he never changed from the caring person who was always there. He faithfully visited his brother, Willard, who was incapacitated by a severe stroke in 2002, and always tried to attend family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Although he was a man of few words, he took great joy in following the activities and achievements of his nieces and nephews: Rebecca; Elaine; Eric (Amy); Kevin (Julie); Marcus (Laurie); Justin (Susan); Jude (Jackie), and their children. He delighted in hearing about their accomplishments.

In addition to Lynn and his family, Roger had two other great loves. One was his love of his many dogs over a lifetime. Each one of them was special and claimed his devotion. He couldn’t imagine a life without these treasured companions and he was devoted to each of them. Equally dear to him, and in fact consuming for most of his years from youth to middle age, was his love of golf (and the accompanying gin rummy sessions that followed most golf games)! A weekend playing golf and indulging in gin rummy was guaranteed to make him happy, no matter the score. And it is documented that he had a hole in one at Hyde Park Golf Club many years ago.

Until the last year of his life when his health no longer permitted, he and Lynn visited Willard and Hazel regularly. Roger was faithful, dependable, and a person of commitment and integrity. He is greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

If you would like to remember Roger with a donation, please donate to:

EveryPet.org/donate (formerly No More Homeless Pets)

Camp Blanding Museum

5629 SR 16 West , Bldg. 3040

Starke, FL 32091