Rodger was a man of many parts and qualities - ‘an enigma’ according to one school report; ‘one of life’s good guys’ said his cousin. He was too a man of a range of interests and a love of learning, kind, hardworking, dutiful, determined, reliable and to those who knew him closely, loving, loyal and generous.
He was born in Ruthin, North Wales in 1947 and grew up for the first few years of his life on the family farm, before his parents moved to farm in north Pembrokeshire. His early schooling in North Wales had been largely through the medium of Welsh, but found Welsh language differences at the local primary school in Tegryn and was sent to Selwyn House as a weekly boarder at the age of 7. From there he won a scholarship to Christ College Brecon where he stayed until leaving aged 18, studying Greek, Latin and Ancient History at A level. He then graduated at the University of Sheffield with a degree in Biblical History and Literature. At school he was not only a student of the Classics (winning the Classics prize in his final year) but also played rugby in the 1st XV, captained the athletics and cross-country teams and was a Sergeant in the Cadet Corps. Both at school and at university he found an interest in archaeology, and this was an enduring fascination throughout his life.
After University he returned to work on the family farm in north Wales for a few years, then spent time in Canada and the USA under the International Agricultural Exchange programme. He returned to work in farming at home and in various parts of the UK - this was the career that Rodger might have pursued long-term, however he didn’t inherit the family farm and this led him to change direction eventually.
He returned to Pembrokeshire and found fulfilment in one of his enduring interests, that of architecture, when he bought and set about the renovation of Eastwood House just outside Narberth which became his family home along with Carol, stepchildren Helen and Ben and where Sarah was born and grew up. He qualified as a builder and eventually set up his own business, working mainly on his own.
Hard work as a builder and on his own land was the life Rodger led, however he always found times when he could engage in other passions, such as walking, mostly in the mountains of North Wales, ballroom dancing which occupied many of his evenings and frequent aerobics classes.
He had a lasting interest in history, art, music, church architecture and, true to his studies of the classics, Roman history. Many a car journey’s route was devised along minor roads so as to take in a Roman road or settlement much to the puzzlement of the passengers who wondered why the route was nothing like a logical line from A to B.
After retirement, Rodger worked as a volunteer at the National Trust Colby Woodland Garden and he was able to share his many interests with Ann; they did several long distance walks including the South Downs Way and the Dales Way as well as travelling around the UK and in Italy and France visiting Roman remains, churches, castles, gardens and museums.
He and Ann have for some time had a strong connection to St Andrew’s Church; Rodger for many years made quiet and knowledgeable contributions to the maintenance of the building and churchyard, sitting on the church council and eventually becoming Vicar’s Warden. His quiet faith lay steadily beneath this practical commitment and he was a regular presence at church services. The week he died he struggled to sit up in bed but announced in a typically determined way that if he was about to meet his maker, he would do it sitting up straight.
Yes, Rodger was a man of many parts, so much of him not known or seen by everyone. His dry sense of humour, his refusal to put himself forward or boast about his skills and achievements and his quiet manner contributed to his public image as a ‘true gentleman’ - a term used in many of the expressions of sympathy since his death.
In private too Rodger was all of these things; he was also a steadying influence, a strong source of advice or knowledge, affectionate, loyal and loving as a partner to Ann, father to Sarah, father-in-law to Matt, grandfather to Theo and Freddie – the gap he leaves is impossible to measure for all who loved him.
