John A. Roller

Obituary John Anthony Roller, devoted father, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother, passed away on August 19, 2008 after a valiant struggle with Alzheimer's disease. John was born on July 6, 1923 to Rudolph and Anna Roller in Ellensburg, Washington. In 1930, he and his family moved to Tacoma. John attended Holy Rosary Catholic School before attending and graduating from Bellarmine Preparatory School in 1941. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Seattle University in 1949 and a Master of Science in Sanitary Engineering from the University of Washington in 1951. In 1952, John joined the Water Division of the City of Tacoma as Chief Sanitary Engineer. In 1974, he was promoted to Superintendent of Tacoma's Water Division, a position he held until his retirement in 1983. During his 31 years in the Division, John worked to protect and preserve Tacoma's watershed and ensure that Tacoma's water sources and water delivery capacity were maintained and enhanced to meet the current and future needs of the city. He authored numerous papers in his area of expertise and held advisory and chairmanship positions on many local, regional, and national water-management related boards and organizations. He received several awards related to his contributions to the water works field including the George Warren Fuller Award in 1977, Faust Publications Operation and Maintenance Award for Water Utilities in 1979 and was inducted into the American Water Works Association's Water Industry Hall of Fame in 1994. On August 20, 1955, John married Rita Ann Scanlon at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle. They settled in the North End of Tacoma where they began the process of raising seven children. In the mid-1960's, John and Rita purchased property on the water near Port Orchard and "the beach" was born. Over the ensuing years John and his family built the beach home into which they permanently moved to in 1979. The beach has been the site of countless gatherings of family and friends over the years. John always ensured that anyone who showed up was welcome, and that no one every left hungry! Following his retirement and wife's death in 1983, John served as President of the TAPCO Credit Union of Tacoma, took up ballroom dancing, learned Spanish, traveled extensively, and enthusiastically interacted with his family and friends until the onset of Alzheimer's disease necessitated that he move to a skilled nursing facility in 2004. John is preceded in death by his wife Rita Ann, his daughter Marie, his granddaughter Makayla (Lambert), brother Joseph and sisters Mary Roller and Rita Roller. He is survived by his sister, Monica Roller, sister in law, Janet Roller, sister in law Kathleen St. Peter and his six remaining children: Robert (his wife Diane and their children Matthew and Alisha), David (his wife Maggie, and their children Katie and Nicole), Theresa Norris (her children, John, Jeffrey, Daniel, Rebecca, Amanda and granddaughter Emily), Paul, George (his wife Amber and their children Kinsey and Carson) and Anne Lambert (her husband Bill and their children Brent, Drew and Logan) as well as a large group of nieces, nephews and extended family and friends. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, August 23, 2008, 11:00 am at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Tacoma. Interment at Calvary Cemetery. Please leave online condolences at www.GaffneyCares.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home 253-572-6003.