Roger Dale Lewis

Roger Dale Lewis passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, on August 5, 2026, at the age of 93. For over a decade, dementia had slowly taken him from us little by little, but it could never diminish his gentle spirit, steady character, and silly humor.

Roger was the eleventh and final child born to Mary and Daniel Lewis in the small farming community of Albia, Iowa. His sister Wilma recounted that when she was five years old, one day their mother simply told her to spend the day playing at a neighboring farm nearly two miles away. When she returned home that afternoon, there was a new baby brother waiting for her. She hadn’t even known her mother was expecting!

In his later years Roger liked to tell stories from his childhood. Life on the farm was humble and often hard, but Roger remembered those years with great affection. He attended a one-room schoolhouse where many of his classmates were also his brothers and sisters. When he was the only fifth-grader one year, the teacher simply promoted Roger to sixth grade. On cold Iowa mornings he rode his horse, Silver, to school, turned him loose when he arrived, and Silver made the trip back to the barn on his own. His older brothers would pick him up from school on their way home from work. As the youngest of such a large family, Roger said that his older siblings doted on him and that he received more Christmas presents than anyone else. His oldest brother Harvey was 23 years older than Roger and an early car enthusiast. In an album of family photos compiled by his niece, there are many pictures of Harvey’s latest ride, and each photo includes a smiling young Roger standing on the running board.

A gifted student, Roger followed his older brother Dan to Iowa State University, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. After graduation he was drafted into the Army and served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Belvoir. It was there that fate—and perhaps a generous serving of Purple Passion punch mixed in the bathtub—introduced him to Louise Armstrong at a party hosted by her sister. Whatever magic was in that punch, it worked. Roger and Louise married about a year later, in 1957, beginning a partnership that would span more than six decades.

Following his military service, Roger joined the Federal Highway Administration in 1957. Advancement meant frequent moves, so Roger and Louise packed up their growing family more than half a dozen times as his career took them to cities throughout the East Coast. Along the way they welcomed four children over the course of eleven years, and Roger somehow found time to earn a master’s degree in engineering as well. In 1972, the family arrived in Raleigh. By then, all four children were in school; so Roger and Louise made a decision that perfectly reflected their priorities. Rather than continue to chase promotions that required relocating, they chose to give their family the gifts of one hometown, one school system, and lifelong friendships. Raleigh became home for the rest of Roger and Louise’s lives.

Roger retired from the Federal Highway Administration in 1988, at the remarkably young age of fifty-five, and began a second career as a consulting engineer at BAKK Engineering. The firm changed ownership numerous times over the next two decades, but Roger kept working. Engineering was never simply a job to him. He loved solving problems, mentoring younger engineers, and contributing meaningful work. After retiring a second time at age seventy-nine, his then-current company, AECOM, convinced him to return for one final chapter. Roger often said he wanted to work “as long as I’m at the top of my game.” True to his word, he worked until age eighty-three, when he finally retired for good to devote more time to his grandkids, his church, and many happy days at the beach.

Roger and Louise were faithful members of West Raleigh Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years. Roger served several terms as both elder and deacon, and together they taught children’s Sunday school, quietly investing in the lives of countless young people. Their friends knew that Roger and Louise were true partners. Together they built a home filled with faith, laughter, and unwavering support for their children and grandchildren.

Those who knew him will remember Roger as steady, thoughtful, and unflappable. He was the calm presence everyone wanted in a difficult situation, someone who listened before speaking and rarely raised his voice (although Allison as a teenager could provoke him greatly!). Yet beneath that reserved exterior was an unmistakably goofy sense of humor that delighted his family. His “Rogerisms” remain part of our family vocabulary. We still announce “D-dubs dir-dir” to remind everyone that the dishes in the dishwasher are dirty; we ask for “chez and craz” when it’s time for cheese and cracker appetizers; and it’s actually a term of endearment to be called a “whiss-snaa”, his abbreviation for a whippersnapper. His children will forever smile at the memory of his voice climbing an octave or two as Sunday morning grew more chaotic and he tried—with time running short—to shepherd four children and his wife out the door and into church on time.

Perhaps Roger’s greatest legacy was not his engineering career, impressive though it was, but his steadfast devotion to his family. At the time his children often took his acts of love for granted, but he shaped their lives in countless lasting ways, from making sacrifices so they could pursue their college dreams to creating treasured memories at Little League games, Scout outings, and Atlanta Braves games. Those acts of love, repeated over decades without fanfare, are the gifts his family will cherish.

Roger was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Louise, and by all his siblings except his sister, Wilma, who at age 98 continues to live in Iowa. He is survived by his children, Allison Lewis Jacokes (Dennis) of Raleigh; Roger Dale Lewis, Jr. (Constance) of Atlanta, Georgia; Julia Lewis Feeney (John) of Oakton, Virginia; and Randolph McClure Lewis (Abigail) of Huntersville, North Carolina. He also leaves six beloved grandchildren: Caitlin Jacokes Grinewich (Jack), Caroline Jacokes Keller (Matt), Allison Feeney, JJ Feeney, Grey Lewis, and Sophia Lewis; and one cherished great-grandson, Calvin Keller.

Our family is deeply grateful to Roger’s extraordinary caregivers: Marta Perili, Ella Peebles, and Awa Thiam. Their compassion, devotion, and love allowed him to remain in his own home with dignity, and over time they became part of our family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, by using the link below, under 'Donations'.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, August 11 at 11:00am at West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, 27 Horne Street, Raleigh, NC. Following the service, the family will receive friends and host a light luncheon in the church fellowship hall. Graveside services will follow at 2:00pm at the Historic Oakwood Cemetery. The service will be livestreamed, to join, please use the 'Join Livestream' link in the services box below.

If you would like to leave a favorite memory / story of Roger, or a message of condolence for his family, you may do so below, within 'Add a Memory'.