Roger W. Roberts

Roger's journey came to an end on June 26 following nearly four years battling chronic myeloid monocytic leukemia (CMML), mastocytosis, and beginning in March acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As he and Chrissy often commented, it was a roller coaster ride. This leukemia is very rare, and with the secondary disease his oncologists got a run for their money. Born January 13, 1948 to Evelyn Rogers and Robert N. Roberts, Roger spent his early years in Chatham New Jersey. When he was 14 his mother died of multiple sclerosis. Following her death his father remarried Loretta Blaise and the family moved to Altha, FL, a small panhandle community with a one building school for all grades. Following high school, Roger attended the University of Florida before joining the Navy, barely escaping the draft. It was during his duty on the island of Bermuda that Roger made the life altering decision to obtain a degree in engineering and become a Naval officer. His 25 years in the Navy were very successful, with steady advancements in rank and many awards and accolades. His assignments included Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, USS Iowa, USS Vogue, USS Antrim, Battleship Reactivation Program, and USS Jason. As the Commissioning Chief Engineer on Antrim, Roger was responsible for bringing complex systems to safe operating status in the very early stages of the FFG-7 program. Where many showed reluctance in seeking orders to these ships, Roger led like he always did - from the front - and brought Antrim online with one of the most successful ship commissioning programs to date. As the Senior Engineering Duty and Repair Officer on Jason, the ship deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of combat operations during Operation Desert Storm. During that operation, under Roger's direction and guidance, Jason provided emergency repairs to two of the Navy's largest and most capable ships, USS Tripoli and USS Princeton, which had suffered significant damage from Iraqi mines. His repair teams received Combat Action Ribbons, to include the first women to ever receive this award. His final Naval post was to serve as Maintenance Director/Coordinator for all surface ships at San Diego 32nd Street Naval Station. Roger retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander in 1993. Given his strong work ethic, interest in community involvement, and excellent management skills, Roger became a real estate agent 1993. He started out with Coldwell Banker, moved over to Prudential California Realty in 1997 - which later became Berkshire Hathaway Home Services - and more recently moved to Coldwell Banker West. He received many professional awards during his time as an agent including Agent of the Year (more than 10 times) and the Community Service Award. As a well-respected businessman he became involved in the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce. During his 20 years with SD ECCOC he served as an Ambassador, acted as Chairman of the Board (2010), sat on a number of committees, and received numerous awards. In his 14 years with the San Diego Association of Realtors he acted as Director (2007-2009), received the Community Volunteer Award (2007-2010), and served on a number of committees. He was heavily involved in the La Mesa Chapter of Business Network International for 25 years and served as President, Vice-President and Treasurer. Roger was deeply committed to volunteering his time, knowledge and passion to St. Madeleine Sophie's Center, a facility for developmentally disabled adults, serving as President of the Board of Trustees (2007-2009), Committee Chair, advisor and supporter. While Roger was stationed in Bermuda in 1970, he and a pal went to a well-known bar where he met Christine "Chrissy" Hargrove Roberts. Following a long-distance romance, Roger and Chrissy were married in November 1972. For three years they resided in Louisville KY while he attended the University of Louisville. Duty locations included Jacksonville, FL (twice), Monterey, CA, Newport, RI, Washington, DC, and San Diego, CA. He was a committed husband, father and grandfather ("Pop-Pop" to his grandchildren). His interests included traveling, history, politics, reading, and serving his community. He also had a passion for drinking and collecting wine, enjoyed numerous seasons of Padres' games with family and friends, and four years ago took up the game of golf. He was proud to share with anyone who would listen that he had hit a hole-in-one, and while in the hospital he regularly commented on "playing vicariously through the pros" when watching the tournaments. Roger is survived by wife of 46 years, Chrissy, daughter Lora (Luke, Luna and Saoirse), and daughter Victoria (Lance, Bryce and Bree). In lieu of flowers, please make any charitable donations in his name to St. Madeleine Sophie's Center www.stmsc.org, The Old Globe Theatre www.theoldglobe.org, or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society www.lls.org. A celebration of his life will be held in late December.