Roger Dollus

1937 - 2021

Roger Dollus was born February 4,1937, in Belleville, IL. He died on Sunday July 25, 2021. At the time of his death, he was in hospice care at the Crossings long term care facility in League City TX. Roger had been battling cancer since early 2021; he had been a patient at M. D. Anderson for several months.

Roger attended Cathedral High School in Belleville, IL. After graduation In 1955, he moved to San Antonio TX and enrolled in St. Mary's University, graduating in 1959 with a degree in accounting. While in College he served four years in the Navy Reserve. After graduation from St. Mary's, he returned to Belleville and worked briefly in a long-established family business. He soon moved to St. Louis and worked as an accountant for Mallinkrodt Pharmaceuticals.

In 1967 Roger moved to Houston and began a long career in finances. He got a job with Bovay Engineers. There he enjoyed an extended career, remaining with the company for 23 years. In 1990 Roger made a significant career change; he left Bovay Engineers and joined CCRD Partners, a major engineering company. CCRD was an important element in Roger's life. He remained there for 25 years until his retirement in 2015.

In the early sixties, the three Dollus brothers Roger, Dick, and Jack built a summer home on a bluff at the Lake of the Ozarks. Each summer the Dollus family would spend a lot of time there enjoying the retreat. Roger would often invite friends in Houston to drive up to the lake to join the family spending a few days of enjoyment on the beautiful lake.

In the late 60s, soon after his move to Houston, Roger developed a keen interest in sailing and purchased his first sailboat, a 25 ft Coronado. He moved from downtown Houston to the Clear Lake area to be closer to the sailing activities. Roger became an active member in the Galveston Bay Cruising Association (GBCA), a large organization and the center of sailing and social activity in the Clear Lake area. He regularly participated in week-end races in Galveston Bay. While a member of the GBCA, Roger developed many life-time friends.

In the early 70s Roger purchased a beautiful Islander sloop named Sundance. As sailing became a more important part of his life, Roger and friends spent more time on the water. Years later he bought his third yacht, an Islander motorsailer, also named Sundance. As a member of Lakewood Yacht Club, Roger and crew usually joined in the annual club-sponsored Harvest Moon Regatta, a race from Galveston to Port Aransas, TX. Each race was a memorable adventure spawning countless "sea stories" that were later "told and re-told" at social events.

Roger always enjoyed traveling to new places and meeting new people. He enjoyed sailing trips in the Caribbean. Over the years he visited friends who kept their yacht in a marina in St. Lucia. During frequent visits, they did a lot of island hopping, visiting anchorages at nearby islands.

Roger also spent significant time in Florida. Years ago, he bought into a beautiful Hyatt timeshare in Key West. Each year a group of friends from Houston would go down to Key West for a week or so and enjoy the tropics and the unique Key West aura.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Waldo and Marguerite Dollus of Belleville, IL and his brother Richard "Dick" Dollus of Shiloh, IL. Surviving are his brother John J. Dollus and his wife Sharon of DuQuoin, IL; his life-partner, Harold Beck of Houston; his four nephews John F. Dollus and his life partner, Amie Keener of Garland, TX; Jeff Dollus and his wife Guita of Thousand Oaks, CA; Scott Dollus of Littleton, CO; and Rick Dollus and his wife Lisa of Chatham IL.

In lieu of flowers one may like to contribute to one of Roger's favorite charities the Wounded Warriors or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

A memorial service for Roger is planned for the mid-September timeframe.