GRATIAS, Roger William 1955-2009

GRATIAS, NASH

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/18/2009 at 16:55:51

OSAGE, IOWA - Roger William Gratias, 53, of Fort Collins, Colo., and formerly of Osage, passed away Feb. 12, 2009, after a long struggle with frontotemporal dementia.

Roger was born Dec. 19, 1955, in Osage, the son of Paul and LaVera (Nash) Gratias. He grew up on a farm near Nora Springs. He graduated from Nora Springs-Rock Falls High School and earned a degree in business at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn.

After graduating, he worked at Thorp Credit in Iowa for a couple of years and then moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., where he worked as a bank loan officer. Roger lived in Cheyenne for 15 years and worked a variety of jobs following his work in banking.

In 1995, he moved to Osage to help care for his father and worked at A to Z Drying for 10 years. Following Roger's dementia diagnosis in 2006, he lived at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, where his father, Paul Gratias, was also a resident. After Paul died in 2007, Roger moved to a dementia care facility in Fort Collins, Colo., to be near his brother, Raymond.

During the next few years, he enjoyed going to his nephew's baseball games, attending church with the family and taking rides in the mountains. Roger spent the final two months of his life in the Rehabilitation and Nursing Center of the Rockies.

Everywhere Roger went, he soon made friends and was a favorite resident at the care facilities where he lived. Roger was always proud to be an Iowan and enjoyed cheering for Iowa teams. Church and family were the two most important things in his life. During his years in Iowa, he worshipped at Eden Presbyterian Church and enjoyed singing in the church choir. His niece and nephews were especially important to him and he was always glad to see them.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, at the Eden Presbyterian Church, 3105 Glass Ave., Rudd, with Rev. John Bates officiating. Inurnment will be at the Eden Presbyterian Cemetery.

There will be a time for lunch and fellowship following the services at the church.

Roger is survived by his brother, Raymond (Cheryl) Gratias of Fort Collins, Colo.; two nephews, Benjamin Gratias of Fort Collins, Colo., and Justin Mohring of Iowa City; and one niece, Jolene Mohring of Center Point.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Mavis Mohring Rosauer.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, 641-732-3706.

[Published in the Mason City Globe Gazette online, 2/18/2009]