Roger took his final journey "Home" on Oct 23, 2019 and is survived by his three sons, Derek (Rose) Magnetawan, Ontario, Mel (Barb) Invermere, British Columbia, and Raymond of Hamilton Ontario. Eight grandchildren Chris (Marissa); Gillian (Dave Pys) of Ayr; Tracy of Ayr; Trevor of Sault Ste Marie, Jason (Ira) of Sherwood Park, Alberta; Emily of Invermere, British Columbia, Angie of Cambridge; Ray of Cambridge and sixteen great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews in England, United States and New Zealand.
Predeceased by his wife Sylvia of 73 years (2015) and their son Christopher (1952).
oger was born in Aberfan, Wales and moved to Redditch, England when he was 8 years old. As a child he survived the Great Depression and started work when he was 10 years old, earning less than one penny a day. When he turned 18, he was drafted into the British Army and spent 6 years with the Essex 49th Division infantry and at the young age of 20 participated in the 1944 Normandy campaign invasion, landing on Gold beach.
During the war his duties took him through France, Belgium and Holland where he was injured by shrapnel causing wounds to both legs. His post war assignments were spent at the sea port in Cuxhaven Germany as military movement control.
Following his discharge from the army, he returned to Redditch England and began work at Birmingham Small Arms Co (BSA) plant as a motorcycle technician and then working at the High Duty Alloys in the tool room and die shop where he became a Machinist.
In 1957 Roger and his family immigrated to Canada on the Queen Mary from Dover to New York and made their home in Galt, Ontario. Roger was a “Jack of all trades” and worked a number of years as a supervisor at Shurly-Dietrich-Atkins Co and finally as Quality Control at Walker Exhaust.
Roger spent most of his working life in Cambridge and retired moving to Kincardine, Ontario for 10 years and returning back to Cambridge and then residing in Ayr for nine years up until 2012 when they moved to St. Andrews Terrace, Cambridge; where he was a well-known character with a unique sense of humor with strong opinions that he made known to everyone he met.
Roger's "Celebration of Life" will be held on October 31, 2019 at 2:00 pm at Trinity Anglican Church, Cambridge, Ontario. Light lunch to follow.
Please visit Roger's obituary notice on Facebook.