Roper Funeral Home and Crematory 206 Holly St Jasper, GA 30143 (706) 253-7500 (706) 253-0040 www.roperfuneralhome.com Roger Kesler was a beautiful soul. Whenever his daughters think about him, they think about his overwhelming kindness. He was the type to give you the shirt off his back, and to put others before himself. He thrived whenever he felt needed by his loved ones. He often fulfilled the role of caretaker for many of the people in his life. He came from humble beginnings, and one might argue that he was the most successful at making it out of generational poverty amongst his family. He raised two daughters, both of whom were not only able to graduate college, but with master's degrees. Roger did all of this whilst facing overwhelming and unyielding adversity. He was stricken with cancer for the first time shortly after the birth of his youngest daughter. From that moment forward, he always asked God for enough time to raise his two girls. Enough time for them to make it to adulthood - 18 years. In his youth, he worked as a car detailer for Vantage Motorworks restoring old luxury vehicles, with a focus on Rolls Royces. He spoke highly of his time there but was unable to resume working there after his cancer diagnosis. This is when he decided to stay at home to raise his daughters full time. Roger was a lifelong sports fan and absolutely loved the Miami Dolphins. He was born and raised in Miami, FL and enjoyed the undefeated 1972 Dolphins season in real time. When he was younger, he and his brothers would wait outside the Dolphins stadium after the games, seeking autographs from the players. Aside from the Dolphins, he enjoyed the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics. When he was growing up, Roger always claimed there were only a few channels available and that he could only view games from the Atlanta Braves or the Boston Red Sox, hence he decided to be a Red Sox fan. As for the Celtics, his daughters think he just liked watching Larry Bird play, haha. He also liked Notre Dame football because he said he "liked what they stood for" - that one is perhaps the most random considering he was never a practicing Catholic. Although, he became a Georgia Bulldogs fan once his daughters attended college there, watching the games most Saturdays and donning a National Championship hat following their 2021 win. Roger also enjoyed NASCAR. When he was younger, he would watch his brother, Sidney, race his car at the Hialeah Motor Speedway. He met the love of his life, Dawn, at a Pizza Hut in Miami. He and his brother and friends from Hialeah Speedway would stop weekly for dinner there on their way home. One late night he asked Dawn to go next door to Dunkin Donuts for coffee. They talked for hours, which resulted in him getting her phone number. He called multiple times the following week, trying to ask her out; he heard several times that she was not home or couldn't talk, which in 1988 was her way of ghosting him. Eventually, Dawn answered the phone and Roger took her to get seafood, a favorite food for her, but not necessarily him. They continued to date, often going to Denny's and Dunkin Donuts for late night talks after he helped her clean the restaurant at the end of her shift. They were married in 1990, ironically, the same year of the birth of his oldest daughter, haha, and spent almost 35 years together in marriage. Roger loved listening to music, although he wasn't exactly the best singer - definitely not the worst though! He would always sing along to music in the car, with the windows down. Although he loved a good hit from the 70s and the 80s, he didn't mind listening to today's music either. His daughters always had a good laugh when Roger decided he liked a song - especially when it was a Black-Eyed Peas or Justin Bieber tune. Roger loved being a parent and family caretaker. He thrived on teaching life lessons, especially on the daily thirty-minute drive to school with his daughters. He regularly made his family's lunches and cooked dinner, to the best of his abilities. His daughters have to laugh thinking about bringing bologna and cheese sandwiches, or Vienna sausages, or Beanie Weenies, to school for lunch. Additionally, he would come up with some pretty creative concoctions for dinner, such as chicken parmesan using Tyson chicken patties. His family claims that he definitely got better with age though, and that he would make dishes like beef stew or cabbage rolls, which were family favorites. He would often host the family for Sunday dinners, a tradition that his mother instilled in him during his younger days, back in Miami. Roger also had a sweet tooth. He and Melanie loved to eat white chocolate Reese's together, although his favorite sweet snack was Little Debbie Donut Sticks. He would also go through the occasional Nutty Buddy kick, also from Little Debbie. To say Roger enjoyed Coca Cola would be putting it mildly; he would often have an open Coke can in the refrigerator to drink from throughout the day, which his daughters would also chug from, haha. Roger would also make pitchers of sweet tea, drinking straight from the pitcher instead of getting a glass. Roger was extremely close to his two daughters and his nephew, Luis. He was dependable and consistent, which made him a wonderful father figure. He will be remembered fondly by those who knew him. Roger is survived by his wife, Dawn Kesler (nee Bydash); his brothers, Jason Kesler and Sidney Kesler; his daughters, Melanie Richards and Victoria Spathelf; his son-in-laws, Brian Richards and Johnathan Spathelf; and his grandson, Maverick Richards. He is preceded in death by his parents, George Kesler and Jacqueleine Kesler (nee Pendlebury), his sister, Valerie Feeney, and his brother, Daniel Kesler. Arrangements are entrusted to the Staff of Roper Funeral Home and Crematory.