Roger Allen Wahl

On Saturday, July 1st, after talking with his daughter, Roger passed away with his wife at his side. Roger was born August 31, 1939 in Stalwart, Michigan. He attended Pickford Public Schools and excelled in track, and was a member of the early Pickford Championship teams. He graduated from Pickford High School in 1957, then went on to Northern Michigan University where he received his B.S. in Education in 1962. Roger spent his teaching career with the Sault Area Public Schools. He also coached high school track, officiated football and basketball, and was honored for being a long time MHSAA track official. In 1972, he met the love of his life, Joan. They were married on July 26, 1975 and became an inseparable team. Together they raised their greatest treasures, Tonya and Carl. Upon retirement, Roger and Joan travelled to many places around the world, making memories and forever friends. They enjoyed the life they made together, full of love and laughter. One of the highlights in Roger’s life was becoming “Papa” to Olivia. They adored each other and enjoyed spending time together. Papa loved going to see Olivia’s school/sporting events and musical theatre productions. Roger truly enjoyed spending time with his family and the addition of Tom Marentette and Erica Peth, completed his family. Roger also enjoyed the life-long years of hunting and storytelling with his cousin, Randy Bennett. One of Roger’s happiest moments was when he was surrounded by extended family at the Koski family cabin, cooking up a meal, sitting around the campfire after a sauna, telling stories and laughing. When wielding either a rod or a rifle, it is hard to say that Roger was either the paragon of outdoors skills, the epitome of good luck, or a combination of both; though he would freely admit that it was better to be lucky than good. To paraphrase the cliché, he never had a bad day fishing or hunting. Roger’s greatest skill was the telling of the tale; no matter how old the story was, he could breathe life into times long past. Lastly, Roger was never selfish with his outdoors skills, and loved sharing them with others. Roger lived his life with passion, hard work and dedication to his family/friends and had an amazing ability for unconditional love. His love for life was immeasurable and it is his greatest legacy that he left for his family. Roger is survived by his wife, Joan Wahl; daughter, Tonya C. (Tom) Marentette of South Bend, Indiana; son, Carl T. (Erica) Wahl of Monrovia, Liberia; granddaughter, Olivia C. Marentette; brother, Walter Wahl of Lansing, Michigan; sisters, Judith (Wilburn) Gloor of San Antonio, Texas and Linda (John) Zimmerman of Draper, Utah; brothers-in-law, Gerald Mittlestat of Flat Rock, Michigan and Jerry Heiss of Owego, New York; sisters-in-law, Janice Mittlestat of Flat Rock and Kay Heiss of Owego; and numerous nieces and nephews. Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Mary Stella (Malkowski) Wahl. Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 8, 2017 from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 P.M. at R. Galer Funeral Home, in Pickford, Michigan. Funeral Services will follow at 2:00 P.M. Late luncheon to follow at Stalwart Community Church. Burial will be at N. Raber Cemetery, in Raber, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Roger’s name to Stalwart Community Church, 8089 E M 48, Goetzville, MI 49736, SHSS (Memo: Pennington House). 1501 W 6th Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, local food pantries or a charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rgalerfuneralhome.com.

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Roger Allen Wahl

August 31, 1939 - July 1, 2017