Roland B. Desilets Jr.

1961 - 2023

Roland B. Desilets Jr. passed away suddenly on December 18, 2023. He was the beloved son of Frances (née McAleer) and the late Roland B. Desilets Sr.(Desi), the loving big brother of Barbara Ann (Bill) Lawrie, Tom (Amy) and Michele (Dave) Reel and the proud father of Jeffrey and Stephen. He was born on July 15, 1961 in Norristown, PA and grew up in Malvern, PA where he attended St. Patrick Church and elementary school. He graduated with the class of 1979 from Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, PA. He then attended Ursinus College and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in physics in 1983. During his junior year at Ursinus, he was the recipient of the Andrew Mutch Scholarship from the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia which allowed him to attend the University of Edinburgh in Scotland for the year. He played on the basketball team while he was over there and had many travels around Europe during that time. He started working at Burroughs Corp/Unisys after college as a computer programmer and went to night school at Villanova University from 1984-1988 where he obtained a Master's degree in Computer Science. He then decided to capitalize on his love of debating and pursued a law degree at Widener University School of Law in 1988. He graduated cum laude in 1991 where he achieved highest grade honors in Federal Income Tax and Torts, phi kappa phi honor society award in Torts, and a Dean's Scholarship. He continued working at Unisys as a Patent Lawyer until 1993. He moved on to QAD in New Jersey that year until 2000 when he did a short stint at Atlas Commerce, Inc until 2001, then back to QAD (2001-2009) and finally Vishay Precision Group (2010-2019). He was Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at each of these companies and was responsible for a myriad of things including dealing with SEC matters, overseeing all legal affairs and agreements, and compliance in different areas. He left the cold winters of Pennsylvania in 2019 and moved to Florida where he eventually landed in St. Augustine in 2021 and bought a house on the water, which he always loved. He was an avid runner and began his love of running in high school where he ran cross country and track. He continued that throughout his life and participated in many local runs (mostly 5Ks), no matter where he was living. He was always ready to regale his family and friends of his run times and usually finished near or at the top of his age group (except for that one time in Stone Harbor:). He loved the Phillies and the Eagles and would be disappointed on many Sundays in Florida, when he was stuck watching the Jaguars or Buccaneers. On several of those occasions, he would call his sister (Michele), so she could give him the play-by-play of the games. He also loved traveling, going to concerts and of course, the sunshine and the beach, where he took many walks with his good friend, Kelley, and her dogs. He leaves behind his 2 sons, his mother and 3 siblings as listed above, as well as 6 nieces and nephews and many cousins and extended family. He was a brilliant man, with a wicked sense of humor, who was gone too soon and will be missed by many. There will be a viewing at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, 104 Channing Ave. Malvern, PA at 11am with a mass of Christian burial to follow at noon on January 6, 2024. Arrangements are being handled by Alleva Funeral Home, 1724 E Lancaster Ave, Paoli, Pa 19301. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Feeding America (give.feedingamerica.org) or the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org).