Roger Arthur Wedel

With quiet dignity and the deep peace of a life well-lived, Roger Arthur Wedel, Captain, United States Air Force (Ret.), passed from this world on Monday, June 16, 2025, reuniting at last with the love of his life, Patricia "April" Wedel.
Born on September 7, 1944, in Staten Island, New York, Roger was the beloved son of Edgar Wedel and Jane (Billard) Wedel, and the cherished brother of Priscilla Wedel-all of whom preceded him in passing.
Roger graduated from Port Richmond High School and went on to earn his law degree from New York Law School, specializing in military law. He served his country with distinction as a Captain in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War, where he flew as a navigator aboard aerial refueling aircraft. His role was both technically demanding and critically important-guiding complex mid-air refueling operations that sustained countless missions and lives.
Roger's commitment to service didn't end when his time in uniform did. As an attorney, he dedicated his legal career to advocating for fellow veterans, helping them secure the benefits, care, and recognition they so deeply deserved. His work was grounded in compassion and a deep respect for those who had served-a quiet but powerful extension of his own sense of duty.
Though Roger's military and professional accomplishments were considerable, it was the love he found in the later years of his life that gave his story its most beautiful chapter. In the late 1980s, under the neon lights of Bronco Billy's Honky Tonk in Washington, D.C., and the heartfelt melody of "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," he met April. That night marked the beginning of a love story filled with warmth, laughter, and unshakable devotion.
In the years that followed, Roger and April became each other's anchor-partners in the truest sense, walking hand-in-hand through life's joys and challenges. In their final chapter together, they lovingly became one another's caregivers, tending to each other with tenderness, patience, and grace.
Roger will be remembered as a man of quiet strength, sharp intellect, steady humor, and unwavering loyalty. He lived not for recognition, but for principle-for what was right, just, and kind.
He is lovingly survived by the family he welcomed into his heart, stepdaughter Edie Lane and her husband JD, along with their children Ethan and Madeline; and stepson Robert McCathran and his wife Leilani, along with their children Shannah and Kahless "Kazz." Roger embraced them all as his own and treasured the role he played in their lives.
He is also survived by his niece, Jennifer Sharp DiCostanzo, her husband Richard, and their children, Ryan and Olivia, who brought him great pride and joy.
A graveside service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27, 2025, at Quantico National Cemetery.
Though he now walks beside April once more, Roger's legacy remains alive-in the lives he touched, the veterans he served, and the family he held so close.
His mission is complete. His soul is at peace. And his love lives on. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Roger, please visit our floral store.