Amos Roe

Amos Burritt Roe

Died: November 29, 2020

Dixon, IL – Amos Burritt Roe, age 64, of Madison, Wis. passed away Sunday, November 29, 2020 at home, where he lived with his wife and son.

He was born in 1956 in Minneapolis, Minn., the son of John D. and Ann Hoopes Roe. After graduating from Dixon High School (Ill.), he attended Wesleyan University (Conn.) and Trinity College (Conn.). He then lived a year in New Zealand before settling in Sauk County, Wis.

Amos was a proficient musician, mostly self-educated. Professionally, he taught piano and guitar forover 35 years. Although music was his forte, he imparted knowledge of all sorts to those who came to him for lessons; he conversed on every topic imaginable. Amos took an interest in his students' lives beyond their musical development. He had an exceptional understanding of children, caring about their well-being, their ambitions, and their personal growth. This fervent and holistic dedication made him anunforgettable instructor. Amos was also a mentor to his many friends.

Full of advice, encouragement,and generosity, he frequently helped those in need. As a local activist, Amos' passions were wide-ranging. From environmental to anti-war efforts to educational causes - he became directly involved to effect the changes he envisioned. He was broadly active in politics in Sauk County, including as a member of Sauk Prairie Peace Council. Perhaps mostnotably, he organized a movement to stop the expansion of U.S. Highway 12 in the Baraboo Bluffs. In 2019, he ran for school board in Madison, Wis. And between such endeavors, he took every opportunity to write letters to the editor, many of enduring renown.

Amos' life became richer in 2010 when he married Cherity Foat, and became a father to Ethan Yepiz-Foat, then age seven. He deeply loved and cherished his family. Recently, he recounted to a friend how blessed he was to have spent the first years of marriage and fatherhood with them at his farm deep inthe woods of the Baraboo Bluffs.

Amos was a man of great conviction, who lived by the principles he affirmed. He shunned the conventional and trod his own path, enriching others with his original perspectives and nonconformist methods. His conversation was colorful, rich with stories and laughter - his influence, indelible.

Amos is survived by his wife, Cherity Foat, and their son, Ethan Yepiz-Foat; his brothers, John (Katherine) Roe of Sharon, Vt. and Paul (Lynn) Roe of Grand Detour, Ill.; his aunt, Lucy Eilert of Los Altos, Calif.; and his nephews, and nieces, Ian Roe of San Jose, Calif., Elliot Roe of Dixon, Ill., Evan Roe of West Brookfield,Vt., Lydia Roe of West Brookfield, Vt., and Sophie Roe of Sharon, Vt.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in his name to The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin or Primates Inc. of Westfield, WI.

A Memorial Service will be held in early Spring 2021. Please let Cherity know if you would like detailsonce they become available.