By james art 
The talented teacher, a joyful joker, a celebrated cyclist, a happy husband, a protected parent, a joyful grandfather and a faithful friend- left all of us on February 8, holding hands with his soulmate Gwen, as they did for the last 38 love years. He spent his whole life pursuing his many talents and passions, and inspired others to do the same.
Born the April fool in 1939 in Long Beach, the middle son between the Don and Chris brothers, he is a fourth generation California. The family moved to Santa Maria and then Glendale, following their father Lynn’s work in the timber business. The three boys distinguished themselves in sports, visiting Hoover Hi in Glendale, where Roger joined football, basketball, baseball and track. With his natural charisma, he fascinates his path from consequences because of his numerous jokes and mischiefs, including removing the door of Hoover principles from his hinges (applying his “open doors”) and making pies in the EC’s home to sell to the EC home Other students.
After marrying Ginny Weber and has a baby Eric, the couple moved to Santa Barbara in 1958 and attended UCSB, where Roger received his bachelor and Ma. Always a dedicated athlete, he played football at college, then began a racing cycling in the days long before the helmets and lycra. Before his time at Ultra Sports, Roger put the 1962 world record cycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles, ride 450 miles in less than 33 hours.
He had the foresight to buy land in Montesito in the 60s and built his own red tree house in the 70s, which unfortunately burned in the fire in Sikamam in 1977. Disobedient, he recovered in a few months and enjoyed the hot a bath, views and bicycles ride from his home to the home.
Roger was a gifted teacher and coach in San Marcos and Santa Barbara high schools. In his 40-year career, he instructs and inspired thousands of students who teach English, humanities and self-discovery. His love for ancient Greece was born when he and Ginny received Fulbright scholarships in Cyprus in the 60s. With their 3 young children, they bought a VW camping van and traveled through Europe, gaining a new world view to bring back to their teaching. With his own strong philosophy, he challenged their students to develop their own, with a more in -depth thought, than adolescents usually survive. His students called him Rogocles Douusopolis because of his reverence for Greek culture.
During a short term as a Tennis coach in San Marcos, he has led his Royals tennis team from 1967 until an unbeaten season, beating many -year champions, Santa Barbara Dons, for the League League title. He challenged his athletes to dig deeper, but he also joked that he taught them “cheap shots” to win. Many other athletes took advantage of his knowledge of cycling when he founded cycling clubs in San Marcos and Santa Barbara Hay. Some continued to a professional cycling career. His 3 children used transport bicycles, studying independence early.
He is the coach of his daughter Michelle for her first (and only) century during high school and took his son Eric to challenging cycling to campsite. He continued to drive his bike in his 80s content to follow the established combinations in education, Roger co-founded the Crazy Academy and Vada Academy in Santa Barbara Hay. Although he insisted on the accepted norms and the discharge of administrative feathers, he received glowing evaluations of teaching every year. In the 1970s, Roger brought his passion for photography in the digital age, winning awards for his photos and selling many pieces of Cottage Health and Glendale Adventist, where they can be seen today.
Roger was a loving father of his children (and their children), Eric (Jeffrey) Kristen (Brittany and Morgan), Michelle and Mike (Spencer and Summer) and Pasin Jay (Raina). He threw himself into all aspects of fun. The annual trip to the pumpkin patch and the carving of pumpkins while eating roasted pumpkin seeds was a tradition that his children and grandchildren would appreciate. He was a vegetarian and healthy nutritional anger before he was modern, so school lunches were never “cool” but were very nutritious. Even Cheerios were out of bounds due to preservatives. But a boy, did you love McConnell’s ice cream! For his birthdays, Gwen is planning Dawson’s family events, including his 80th birthday bash in Alisal, who ended with the entire dining room he sang. His ability to connect with others was one of his many super powers, well known to those in his motor, books, wine and photography groups.
The great blessing of Roger’s life was to marry Gwen. He became a favorite member of her family, contacting her father Stuart Taylor, and brothers and sisters Claire (Jack) and Stuart Jr. (Sally) and their children and grandmothers at Taylor’s gatherings. Like Noni and Grandi, they attacked their six lucky grandchildren. Gwen and Roger shared deep appreciation for their abundant life together from sunset Margi in their garden to wonderful trips abroad.
He would tell Gwen that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and later said that she was the best cook she had ever known, which was cheerful about Gwen and her friends, as he did more – Most of the cooking.
His many passions would have completed a book, but it must be said that he was the original Steve Jobs fan and, like Forest Gump, he invests in a “fruit company” called Apple. He liked to go to Mission Creek and on the beach with Gwen, admire his roses, ride up mountain driving and Gibraltar, a sophisticated profit and dining room, stabbing the Beatles and Elvis in his media room, making his m3, refining the photos your Photoshop and most of all time spending with his expensive ones.
We will remember his beautiful smile and flashing in his eyes and his daily evaluation of the beauty around him. His hugs for a bear will be missed more than words can say.
A holiday of life is planned for early spring.
If you wish, donations in his memory can be made to the Vada Academy: Vadasbhs.org
I hope for nothing. I’m not afraid of anything. I’m free. -Nikos kazantzakis