- Date Of Birth: April 16, 1945
- Date Of Death: October 1, 2013
- State: Connecticut
Roger Strong
Roger Strong, longtime resident of Bethel, CT, passed away at home on October 1, 2013. He was born on April 16, 1945 to William and Roberta Strong, in San Francisco. After a short move to Winthrop, MA, Roger moved to Yonkers NY, when he was six years old. Roger grew up in Yonkers, and graduated from Roosevelt High School.
After High School, Roger attended Northeastern University, in Boston, MA, graduating in 1969. While there, he met his first wife, and mother of his two children, Susan Townsend. They were married after graduation. Roger attended Army ROTC while at Northeastern, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He spent 3 years in the Army, most of it in the Corps of Engineers, stationed in Frankfurt, West Germany. It was there that Roger and Susan were blessed with twin boys, William and Robert.
When Roger left the Army, he returned to his job at the New York Times. Roger was an assistant to the Photo Editor for the Times, and a free-lance photographer. He stayed there for his entire career, retiring in 2008. He was a part of the staff at the Times responsible for the several Pulitzer Prizes that the Times was awarded in 2002 for coverage of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was also largely responsible for ushering the New York Times into the era of digital photography. Roger married Virginia Repka in the mid 1980’s, and became the father figure for her son, Thomas Montana. They lived in Brewster, NY, for a few years and then moved to Bethel in 1989. After Roger and Virginia divorced, in 1996, Tom lived with Roger for a few more years.
Roger was an avid bicyclist and loved the White Mountains, in New Hampshire. He made several camping trips there with his sons, and loved hiking in the mountains. He rode his bike across the Kancamagus Highway, and was a regular in the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). He made the American Lung Association Plymouth to Provincetown bike ride several times.
After a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, Roger developed an interest in Ham Radio. At the time of his death, Roger was the President of the Candlewood Amateur Radio Association in Danbury, CT, a member of the White Mountain Amateur Radio Club in Conway, NH, and a member of the Superstition Amateur Radio Club in Mesa, AZ.
Roger was predeceased by his father and his mother. He is survived by his sons, William of North Conway NH, and Robert of Utica, OH, his step-son Thomas Montana of Austin, TX, two brothers, Richard Strong of Niagara Falls, NY, and Daniel Strong of Auburn, MA, five grandchildren, two nieces and a nephew.
