Thanks everyone for attending the Life Celebrations in King's Beach and Carmichael. We can't express how much it meant to the family to have everyone's support in this difficult time. -- In Lieu of Flowers -- We believe Roger would rather you consider contributing to either The Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe or the North Tahoe Family Resource Center, rather than sending flowers. Please click the "Donate" link on top of this page for more information. -- About Roger -- Roger Irvin Ramseier July 18, 1936 – September 13, 2013 Lake Tahoe, California Roger Irvin Ramseier, husband, father, grandfather, Cal football fan, world traveler, skier, people person, classic movie buff, story teller, wine connoisseur, and big tipper died on Friday, September 13, 2013 at 11:00 AM in his home in Lake Tahoe, California, surrounded by his family. Roger is survived by his wife Donna Benner, sons and their wives James and Kimberly, Michael and Janie, and Jason and Amy, grandchildren Natalie, Jack, Gabrielle, Brayden, and Aaron, and siblings Betts and Daniel. Roger was born on July 18, 1936 in Culver City, California to Irvin and Betty Ramseier. He was the second of their three children. The family moved to Sacramento during Roger’s childhood after Irvin was offered a job working for the state government. After moving to the Carmichael region, east of Sacramento, Roger attended Carmichael Grammar School and then was in the first graduating class at El Camino High School in 1954. At El Camino, he starred as a three-sport athlete and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals organization – which he declined. Instead, Roger enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley (Cal) and majored in business. As a gifted athlete, he played both baseball and football for the Bears. Cal football was one of Roger’s longest passions. He played for the Golden Bears from 1955 to 1958 under legendary coach Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf. After graduating in 1959, Roger rarely missed a Cal game and enjoyed nearly six decades of Cal football and tailgating. He was a vociferous fan while rooting from the Alumni section, often losing much of his voice by the fourth quarter. When his grandchildren started attending games, Donna urged him to temper his more colorful outbursts. This worked with mixed results at best as old habits were hard to break. Roger was a proud and active participant of “Pappy’s Boys”, a group of former players who played under Pappy Waldorf. While members of Pappy's Boys enjoyed getting together to reminisce and socialize, the group is committed to supporting Cal through donations and charitable activities. After college, Roger joined the US Army, and transferred later to the Army National Reserves. Roger's first and only job out of college was at Aerojet where he started in 1959. Like everything else in his life, he excelled and ascended the ranks to become President of Aerojet Liquid Rocket division in 1978 and then of Aerojet Corporation in 1989. He continued in this role until he retired in 1997. He believed in corporate citizenship and promoted the idea that Aerojet should be an active support of the community. As a result, he also devoted much of his personal time to supporting local charities, civic organizations, and the community in general. He served on countless Boards and Advisory Councils for many distinguished companies and institutions throughout his career. His 38 year career at Aerojet was not defined by the titles he held, by key milestones, or by personal accomplishments. Rather, it was defined by the deep relationships he developed along the way. He had a genuine interest and caring for the people that worked within the Aerojet family and colleagues he met throughout his career. He was described by one of his closest friends and co-worker as a great “people person”. He knew everyone on a first name basis and was genuinely interested in their lives and opinions. He considered himself blessed to have developed so many lifelong friendships with people within the Aerojet family and those both local and abroad he was fortunate enough to meet during his career. Roger travelled extensively as part of his duties as President of Aerojet. Travel was one of the great joys of his life. He made countless trips to Italy, France, England, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Washington D.C, among many other places. His natural interest in other people extended to those he met on his travels, and he maintained strong friendships with many of the people he met throughout the years, with particularly strong ties to friends in England and Italy. He continued travelling with Donna, his children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren after his retirement, and Italy became his favorite place to visit. His view of life closely matched the Italian ethos - a strong sense of friendship and family, a love of celebration and laughter, and a passion for wine and food. He was a loving husband and soul mate to his wife Donna; a mentor, hero, and inspiration to his sons, daughters-in-law, and nieces and nephews; and a beloved "papa" to his grandchildren. He inspired us all to strive to be better people and better parents. He helped to create so many wonderful family memories - countless family ski trips, perfect attendance at his kids' sporting events, and our annual sports weekend/family reunion. From world travels to simple evenings around the dinner table enjoying one another’s company over good food and wine, discussing current events and family news, Roger was happiest when he was surrounded by his family. Donna and Roger developed a simple but wonderful philosophy as grandparents – which was “our job as grandparents is to create memories”. He request us all to keep this promise – to continue in the tradition of creating memories for our families, getting together often to enjoy one another’s company, laugh together, and remember together. Our promise will be gladly and joyfully be upheld. Roger retired to the one place in the world he loved the most, Lake Tahoe. Every morning he would wake before dawn, sit in silence in the same chair with a cup of coffee, and watch the sun rise over the lake. He was an active member of the Tahoe City Rotary, a graceful skier (though never on the weekends - he couldn't stand lines), and loved to take friends and family out in his boat, stop in the middle of the lake, play Andrea Bocelli at full volume, and enjoy a glass of wine. When friends would visit, he'd fly two flags of his dock - the Stars and Stripes and the flag of the visitor's home country or college. He constantly remarked how privileged he was to live in what he felt was the most beautiful place in the world, and was truly grateful for every moment he spent there. He would often say to everyone who visited, “another tough day in paradise”. From his service in the Boy Scouts and the US Armed Forces, charitable contributions to UC Berkeley and non-profit organizations in the Sacramento and North Lake Tahoe area, and finally through his tenure in Tahoe City Rotary, Roger was a lifelong supporter of the communities in which he lived. In lieu of flowers, we believe Roger would rather you contribute to either The Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe or the North Tahoe Family Resource Center. Because Roger had such strong roots in both the Lake Tahoe and Sacramento areas, two "Celebration of Life" ceremonies are planned - one in Kings Beach, California at 10 am at the North Tahoe Event Center, and the other in the Sacramento area (time and location to be determined). More information about donating to his favorite charities and about the upcoming "Celebration of Life" ceremonies can be found at http://roger.ramseier.muchloved.com. We would strongly encourage anyone to visit this site if they wish to contribute photos, stories, songs, or other thoughts about Roger. You may contact his family through this site as well. In his humility, one of Roger's favorite sayings was "I'd rather be lucky than good." In reality Roger never had to choose between those two, he was both.