I am so sorry to hear of Roger's passing.  We were in a rock band together in 1966  at Headland High school in East Point, GA. His family moved to San Mateo, CA later that year. In 1969  He and some friends drove back to Georgia for a visit.  We had a blast and the next year I went out to see him in San Mateo.  Another blast we went to the Fillmore two nights in a row... fantastic. I still have posters from there .

Many years have past and I am planning a family trip out to San Francisco .  I thought of Roger, decided to look him up.  I should have made it out sooner. 

I see from the service presentation that he was always the great fun loving and music loving guy that I knew long ago. 

I regret not checking on him sooner, but glad to see the great fun filled life that had.  I am glad we had our time together. 

Love,  Winston Jones 404-822-5798

7425 Heard Rd, Cumming, GA 30941

This was a birthday story from 15-18 years ago.  Roger and I left for the Upper Sacramento River days after my last day of work.(I'm a teacher).   As we talked on the road up I 5, he casually mentioned it was his birthday in a few days.  Just fyi, he never mentioned a word during our MANY discussions about the trip prior.  On the next gas stop in Red Bluff I picked up one of those 2 pack Hostess cupcakes.   Two days into the camping trip it was Rogers birthday.  It was over 100 degrees and the fishing was terrible.  We decided to shine the evening bite and we went to  Rogers favorite restaurant in Dunsmuir.  (5 star super fancy).  Not only was he my best fishing buddy, He was the best "Foody Friend" I've ever had.  It's been so many years since that night, but I remember the meal like it was yesterday. i.e We spit the Scallops, He got the Duck, I got the Lamb, we split a bottle an  Awesome Pino.  When he asked if I wanted desert, I told him I had it taken care of it back at camp.  As we got back to camp the fire was still smoldering, a couple more logs would do the trick.  I lit a match and stuck it into one of those 3 day old gas station cupcakes and I lit a Citranella candle on the camping table, he made a wish and blew it out.

I really miss my friend.

I have many warm memories of Roger over the years. I will always remember how friendly and kind he was to my son, Alex, when he was young. (He's now almost 30.) One memory in particular comes to mind:

Many years ago, a bunch of Imperial guys, including Roger, my ex-husband, and 2-3 years old Alex, were upstairs in the clubhouse watching sports on TV. I came upstairs to check on things and found Alex tipping his head back with his mouth wrapped entirely around the top of a beer bottle that Roger had handed to him (or that Alex picked up to mimic the guys in the room). Roger was watching and laughing. Perhaps the bottle was empty, I’ll never know. I recall that Alex was young enough that I was as concerned that he might break the bottle with his teeth as concerned that he might actually be drinking alcohol. Out of Alex’s gaze, I gave Roger a surprised look, shook my head firmly, and silently mouthed the words, “no, no, no!” Now, it's a sweet and funny memory. 

My warmest condolences to all who loved Roger. I will miss him.

After my retirement in 2019 and the pandemic of 2020-2021, I was looking for finding an activity to help me get back into better health while having some fun.  Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, I explored taking up tennis again after a 35 year hiatus at Imperial.  Being a little shy, I spent most of my first sessions there just hitting balls with the ball machine.  Then, I was invited to play with the Wine-O group one day.  My first partner was in fact Roger.  

As I started making my excuses for what I expected to be a rather, shall we say, "spotty performance of my tennis prowess", Roger put his hand on my shoulder and said something like, "Bruce, we are all friends just having fun, go for it."  Well, I think my first forehand hit the back fence, and don't even want to remember what happened with many of my backhands.  Let's don't even consider the number of volleys I hit into the net.  Needless to say, Roger and I lost.  But, what I remember most was when I apologized to Roger for my rusty performance, again put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Bruce, it will be my pleasure to be your partner anytime".  It is at that moment, I knew I had found a new source of friends, an active community that approaches life with a bent towards fun, exercise, and support as we all work to improve our game.  This first impression, a gift from my new friend Roger, was a clarion moment about what Imperial Courts and its special members would end up meaning to me.  I love the place, the people, and the life we share together.  

Roger, my friend, thanks for making me feel so welcome and comfortable... thanks for playing your great music at my 70th birthday party... I will always carry your memory with warmth and the spirit of fun we always had together.

Love,

Bruce

I first met Roger in the early 80s. We both lived in Soquel, had kids about the same age in youth sports, and hit it off right away. We would enjoy a beer together on occasion at Jesse’s Sports Page (now Beer 30), and always laugh about something. Roger had a great sense of humor, and an ever sharp wit. 

I can remember him saying “come check this out”, and we would go to his car where he had a huge steelhead he had just caught from Soquel Creek. This was the early days when he kept a fish or two. Later, it was all catch and release. I couldn’t believe the size of the fish he caught in our dinky creek. He was an excellent fisherman! Honestly, there should be a statue or plaque honoring Roger on Soquel Creek. He went out all the time, in good weather and bad. Even this year I asked him if he had gone out.  He said he had, “caught a small one- 16 inches, but it had been to the ocean”. I envied his passion for fishing. 

Several years ago we took our friendship to another level and started playing music together. I so enjoyed playing and singing with Roger in the Flashbacks. We had a special musical connection. I will cherish those memories forever. 

If you’re lucky you meet some special people along life’s journey who get into your soul- that was Roger. He was a dear friend and I will miss him. 

My heart goes out to Carol and the entire LeGrande family.  

I'm probably not going to be able to speak in front of so many friends on April 20 as the emotions might overwhelm, so here is how I met Roger; one of the best days of my life. I spent the night before crashed at Bruce's on Skyline along with McKenna. For some reason we were up early on a Sat or Sun and Michael said "let's go see my friend Roger in Lompico". We drove in MGM's rat red VW bug and arrived at a holler clearing with a side of big redwoods. There were two cabins both a story above ground with decks maybe 12 ft apart. Before we got out of the car we could hear the notes of Jimi Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower" if I remember correctly. As we started toward the flight of stairs a huge guy in overalls with a cup of coffee and a full beard like Bob Hite of Canned Heat came out onto his next door deck and screamed "turn that shit up !!"

We stepped into Roger's place through the open front door and he was a wailing in the front room. I looked across to the couch and there was this beautiful woman like Bridget Fonda or Gisele Bundchen reading Vogue Magazine. Carol was in a space totally comfortable. I've been so lucky to have them as friends these many decades.

Dear Carol

I am so very sorry for your loss . Roger was a very special person and dear friend.   He will always be remembered for being an amazingly good natured person with a quick wit and always made me laugh with his incredible sense of humor.   Some of my happiest days playing tennis at Imperial  was having Roger as my mixed doubles tennis partner .   He will be greatly missed!

I pray that your heart will be comforted with all the loving memories that you have shared. 

Love,

Wendy Lezin 

We will miss Roger greatly. Loved playing Tennis with and against him.  Enjoyed the time we played golf together.  Roger was always so kind and gracious in both defeat and victory. (Although he enjoyed Victory much more😂).

All our love and thoughts with Carol and her family. 

Stephen and Eda.