Geraldine Elizabeth Roger

Geraldine Elizabeth Laing Roger, October 4,1933 to January 23,2023 Geraldine Elizabeth Roger went to be with our Lord on January 23,2023 at the home of her daughter Peggy Roger in Dana Point, California. She was 89 years old. Geraldine was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 4, 1933 to Thomas Anderson and Margaret Elizabeth (Gliffe) Laing. She was also raised in Chicago in her younger years. She went to Waller High School and it was there she met Zardon James Roger. Their first date was a hay ride. This was a girl raised in the city going on a hay ride. She graduated early with high honors from Waller. At the age of 18 she married Zardon James Roger(Jim) on December 22,1951 in Chicago. Then the two “honeymooned” at the Plaza hotel in Chicago for a whole 24 hours. After the honeymoon the couple set out to Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. You see before they married Jim joined the army that he would have to go to North Carolina to have his basic training there in Ft. Bragg. While there he became a member of the 82nd Airborne. Also Jim was a cook for the army and was able to save food items for Gerry so she could eat. It was there in North Carolina that Gerry became pregnant with her first child. She would ultimately go back to Chicago to have Rick on April 15, 1953. Sometime after Rick’s birth when he became a little older Gerry and Rick went to North Carolina. It wasn’t to long after their return to North Carolina to meet up with Jim. Jim’s orders were to go Frenchman’s flats in Nevada for duty. Duty was done there in August 1953 Jim finished his Army obligations and that meant he, Gerry and Rick could go back to Chicago and live on Hudson Avenue where Gerry had lived before as a young girl. She was so happy and now the young Roger family can start a new life. After having three more children (Tom, Wendy and Willie) in Chicago the Roger family set off to Carpentersville, Illinois in 1958. The family would have three more children (Vicky, Steve and Peggy). Jim had his CTA work,ran a dairy company, Chicago Rawhide job and eventually drywall work while Gerry was running a household of seven children. Then in 1969 the Roger family moved again to Highland, California and Jim worked in drywall. Jim and Gerry would eventually open their own company. They called it Roger’s Drywall and little later they would incorporate their business and now it was called Roger’s Drywall, Inc. The company would become the largest successful drywall company in Southern California. Gerry and Jim would have their sons open their own drywall companies. They would eventually quit the business retire to Florida in 1989. They would subsequently move to Las Vegas, Nevada, Florida again, then finally move together to Bullhead City, Arizona. It was there where Jim died on May 11, 2017 after numerous illnesses. Gerry then moved to Lake Havasu city, Arizona close by where her son Tom lived. Peggy had Gerry take residence temporarily in Dana Point, California. It was there she died on January 23, 2023. Gerry is predeseased by her husband Jim, daughter Vicky in 2016, great grandson Joseph Roger in 2000, her brother Tom and sister Dolores in 2015 and cousin Betty in 2014. Gerry is survived by sons Rick(Lisa), Tom(Patricia) Willie and Steve and daughters Wendy(Larry) Gatlin and Peggy Roger. She is also survived by her sister Margie and brother in law Ray Caesar, She also is survived by 15 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, 2 nieces and 3 nephews. Gerry was very good wife to Jim, mother and grandmother. When she was alive she became adopted mother to every child in the neighborhood and a good role model too. Like her husband Gerry touched all who knew her.

Geraldine Elizabeth Roger

October 4, 1933 - January 23, 2023