He was born to the late Lt. Col. Roy A. Wegener Sr. and Margaret “Maggie” Philips, on Nov. 5, 1953, in Middlebrook Stoney, England where his father was stationed with the Air Force. During his childhood, Roy lived numerous places within the US as well as in England and Germany. Roy graduated from O’Fallon High School in Missouri and received a BA in Mathematics from the University of Florida. He married Peggi Sanborn in 1988, and they lived and raised their three sons in Jacksonville, FL.
Roy was a Professional Land Surveyor and Mapper. He worked for several private survey firms in Florida before joining the St. Johns River Water Management District, from which he retired in 2013. Roy was an avid runner and tennis player and was a lifelong Florida Gator fan and St. Louis Cardinals fan. He was also an active member of Christ’s Church Mandarin.
Roy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 45. He was determined to live actively for as long as possible. He continued to run regularly, to play games/sports with his young children, and to attend their sporting events as they aged. He took his three young sons to Colorado to teach them to ski and was devastated to discover he was very uncoordinated and fell frequently. His response was “I thought I would be able to teach my sons to ski. I guess I will have to teach them how to fall and get back up instead.” When he realized his disease had progressed and he could no longer beat his son Jeremy at basketball, Roy assured him he would “kick his butt” in chess….and did. Roy would no doubt tell you that his greatest joy was watching his sons grow into fine young men.
Roy had wonderful friends from college and his Theta Chi fraternity. He enjoyed a surprise 40th birthday party with several of these men and their families. He took baseball trips regularly including a final trip to Chicago with his best friends Mike Cullum and Greg Parker. In July 2018 he was able to enjoy a beach day with family and friends.
Roy’s family is deeply grateful to the physicians, nurses and caregivers who have supported him these past 5 years. We are especially grateful to the staff of Brookdale Crown Point who loved and cared for him during his most difficult years. We are also grateful for the support of Community Hospice this last year and especially in his last days.
Roy is survived by his wife, Peggi Sanborn Wegener and their three sons: Jeremy of Atlanta, GA; Cody, of Orlando, FL; and Wesley, of Jacksonville, FL. He also is survived by his sister Margaret “Peg” Dallowitz (Fred), of Tampa, FL.
In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made to The Michael J Fox Foundation.
Additionally, we thank you in advance for your condolences and would greatly appreciate reading about how you knew Roy and any story and/or about your relationship that you would like to share.
We will be having a celebration of life (a party!) to honor Roy. It will be held on May 11, 2019, 1 PM – 5 PM. Come enjoy food, beer, great music and hopefully a St. Louis Cardinals game. Please leave your phone number or email address if you would like to be included in the invitation and we will send it to you. Blessings to all.
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