Hadley, Roger Keith (1943-2018)

HADLEY, BIERMANN, CORLETT, RAY, SMITH

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 3/16/2018 at 17:01:24

Roger Keith Hadley
May 4, 1943 - January 11, 2018

Roger Keith Hadley, 74, died peacefully with his family by his side on January 11, 2018, in Green Valley, Arizona, from the effects of Parkinson's disease.

Roger was born in New Hampton, Iowa, on May 4, 1943, to LaDonna (Biermann) and Keith D. Hadley. Baptized and confirmed at Peace United Church of Christ in Fredericksburg, Iowa, he attended a one-room country school until 1955 and graduated in 1961 from Fredericksburg High School. In 1965, he earned a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Iowa State University and a M.A. degree in Educational Administration at Michigan State University in 1971. He, later, returned to Iowa State to earn a Ph.D. in Higher Education in 1989 while continuing to work full-time.

Roger began his career as a high school geometry teacher in Lincoln, Nebraska. On June 11, 1966, he married Susan Corlett of Farmersburg, Iowa. In 1967, Roger and Sue moved to Numan, Nigeria, W. Africa, where they served for three years as lay missionary teachers with the American Lutheran Church (now the ELCA). Their daughter, Sarah, was born there in 1969.

In 1971, the family relocated to Jacksonville, Illinois. There, Roger served as Assistant Principal and District Summer School Director at Jacksonville High School. While there, they adopted their son, Christopher, into their family. Returning to Iowa, Roger served as Assistant Principal at Linn-Mar High School in Marion from 1977 to 1979.

In 1979, Roger became Dean of Students at Waldorf College, then a college of the ELCA, in Forest City, Iowa, where he served for twenty-six years before retiring in 2005. He loved and valued his students—attending all student activities, and every summer learning to recognize all the new students’ faces, names, and hometowns in order to welcome them by name when they first arrived on campus.

After retiring in 2005, Roger and Sue moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Roger continued to pursue his love of nature. He loved hiking with the Cat Mt. Hiking Club and fulfilled his dream of hiking the Grand Canyon. He golfed, worked out, played poker, enjoyed vegetable and flower gardening, and sang in the Men's Choir at Mount Zion Lutheran Church. He served on the Health and Wellness Committee as well as on the Building Committee for the Card and Billiard Building at Tucson Estates.

Roger is survived by Sue, his wife of fifty-one years, and his two children, Sarah (Michael) Ray, of Appleton, Wisconsin, and Christopher Hadley, of New Hampton, Iowa; two grandchildren, Hannah and Andrew Ray; and a sister and brother, Donna Lea (Tom) Smith, of Le Center, Minnesota, and Richard (Rita) Hadley, of Spokane, Washington; as well as by eight nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at Mount Zion Lutheran Church, 4520 W. Ajo Way, Tucson, Arizona 85746. Following the service, Roger's ashes will be placed in the Memorial Garden next to the church beneath Big Cat Mountain, one of the many Tucson mountains that Roger and his hiking club enjoyed. Afterwards, a meal will be served for all in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Waldorf Lutheran College Foundation, 106 S. 6th St., Forest City, Iowa 50436 or Mount Zion Lutheran Church Music Ministry, 4520 W. Ajo Way, Tucson, Arizona 85746, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

The Family of Roger Hadley, 2018.

Winnebago Obituaries maintained by Cheryl Siebrass.
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