Roger Karl Lehr

1936 - 2021

Roger Karl Lehr 1936—2021
Our hearts are heavy and pained as we say "see you later" to the man we called Dad and Grandpa, who taught us to love unconditionally, to learn daily, to live passionately, and to always recycle. He went to great efforts to ensure that he left a small carbon footprint in this world. His carbon footprint may have been small, but the imprint he left in our hearts was enormous.
Beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, Roger Karl Lehr, age 84, passed away unexpectedly in his home in Mesa, AZ, on March 10, 2021 from cardiac arrest, while recovering from the effects of COVID-19.
Roger was born November 10, 1936 in Monroe, WI, to Karl August Lehr and Lydia Grace (Minder) Lehr. He married Emilie Suzanne Niemeier in the Martintown Community Church, Martintown, WI, on Dec. 26, 1959. Their marriage was sealed for eternity in the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January 1964. They were blessed with 9 incredible children.
Roger graduated from Winslow High School in 1954. He then attended the University of Dubuque, Iowa. In 1956, Roger enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps where he served a tour of duty in Japan, Okinawa and the Phillippine Islands. In 1958, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Experiences serving in the military sparked his interest in psychology which led to his lifelong career as a school psychologist.
In 1959, Roger enrolled in Illinois State University (ISU), where he majored in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology. While attending ISU, he was a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Honor Society in Education. He subsequently pursued a master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Brigham Young University (BYU). Following his graduation from BYU, he became a licensed school psychologist and worked in this profession for nearly four decades.
Roger and Emilie raised their family in Freeport, IL from 1970 until 1994, where he worked for the Freeport School District. After retiring from Freeport School District, they moved to Utah where Roger continued his career at Millard and then at Alpine School Districts until his retirement in 2009.
Roger dedicated his life to his family and career. He cherished the time spent with his children and grandchildren. He was an avid reader, valued learning/education, and was passionate about teaching. He enjoyed history, ecology, astronomy, auctioneering, and birdwatching. For the past six years, he found great satisfaction tutoring his grandson, Kappes Lehr. Roger's grandchildren will miss his frequent calls and video chats that included questions and quizzes to encourage learning and thinking. They will also miss playing intense euchre games with him.
Over the years he enjoyed traveling across the country visiting his children and grandchildren. Family adventures took him to nearly 30 states. While his family was his ultimate love, genealogy was his passion. He spent countless hours reaching out to distant relatives and linking ancestry lines. One of Roger's most cherished experiences was traveling to Switzerland and meeting distant cousins. Roger's testimony of Jesus Christ and the restored gospel which teaches of eternal families is a foundation of our family.
Roger is survived by his children: Orrin (Shanon) (Vida, OR), Laurena Monique (Thomas) Fraser (Sandy, UT), Lisa (Scott) Gandolph (Smithfield, NC), Rana (Mark) Lehr-Lehnardt (Liberty, MO), Owen (Tara) (Mesa, AZ), Eva Garcia (Smithfield, NC), Aaron (Freeport, IL), Erica (Bradly) Lehr-Reuber (Reedsburg, WI); 27 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by the love of his life, wife Emilie Lehr, daughter Lynnettte, brothers Doran and Nathan Lehr and his parents.
We will forever carry him in our hearts. Roger donated his body to science to further medical research. A private celebration of life to honor both Roger and Emilie will be held in June 2021 in Wisconsin and Illinois.
"You cannot do all of the good the world needs, but the world needs all of the good you can do."
In memory of Roger, please donate to your local school district's pupil service department.