Roger L. Mayer

Roger Lee Mayer, 77, of Robins, Iowa, died on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at Mercy Hospital surrounded by his family. Services will be held at Hope United Church of Christ in Hiawatha, Iowa on Wednesday, November 6th at 12:30pm. The family will greet visitors 1 hour prior to the service. Private family burial will take place at White Oak Cemetery in Washington, Iowa. Roger was born in Washington County, Iowa on November 21, 1935 to Homer and Cecille Mayer. He attended school in Washington County, Iowa and upon graduation from high school, proudly served 4 years in the US Navy. While stationed in Millington, Tennessee he met, fell in love and married Wanda J. Tipps. Upon his discharge from the Navy, Roger and Wanda moved to Hiawatha, Iowa and Roger began a 22 year career at Rockwell Collins. He retired in 1990. He was a member of Masonic Lodge 25 and IBEW Local #1362. Roger was a man of many gifts and talents. He could fix anything mechanical. He loved restoring tractors and could often be found 'dumpster diving' for broken down wooden furniture which he would painstakingly restore to its original beauty. He always had a large garden that was meticulously maintained. His friends, family and neighbors would often find fresh produce left anonymously on their doorstep. His garage was the headquarters for daily meetings with agendas that ranged from; politics to crop conditions, from pet care to vehicle maintenance and gas prices to beef prices. He was President of menu planning and Chief Chef for the weekly breakfast and lunch buffets held in his garage. Roger was a role model for hard work. In addition to working at Rockwell Collins he also built homes in Hiawatha, tilled gardens for many people, was a volunteer firefighter, owned his own plane and had a private pilot's license. He was active in his Church. He spearheaded the campaign to build an addition onto the church along with helping to design, build and install the stained glass window. He spent many hours over the years mowing and maintaining the Church grounds. Above all else, Roger loved and treasured his family. Roger is survived by his wife, Wanda; daughter Terri (Christopher) May of Cedar Rapids; sons David (Jennifer) Mayer of Vinton and Daniel Mayer of Cardiff, CA. Also surviving are 9 grandchildren; Kevin May, Alisha (Christopher) Dunn, Jessica May, Andrew May, Adam (Yukari) Mayer, Logan Mayer, Benjamin Mayer, Madelynn Mayer, Gavyn Mayer and 3 great grandchildren; Kalina, Alexander and Declan. Also surviving is his sister Marlene (Kenneth) Havel of Grundy Center and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and 4 brothers; Robert, Keith, Theodore and Lester. He will be missed tremendously but we rejoice in the knowledge that he is now at peace in God's Kingdom. In keeping with his wishes, please consider a memorial gift to Camp Courageous or Mercy Hospice in lieu of flowers.