Roger H. Soderberg

Roger H. Soderberg

Hanover, NH - Roger H. Soderberg, 88, of Hanover, died on Sunday, August 25th at Kendal at Hanover.

Roger was born on June 19, 1936 in Berwyn, IL, to Victor and Grace (Hamilton) Soderberg. He grew up in Park Ridge, IL, Sydney, OH, and Elgin, IL, attending Elgin HIgh School, where he played on the basketball team and participated in Boy Scouts, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. He then studied at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, graduating in 1958 with a degree in Chemistry, During his time at Grinnell, he met Mary Kincaid, also a Grinnell student, to whom he was married until her death in 2003.

Roger and Mary moved from Grinnell to Cambridge, MA, where Roger began his Ph.D. studies in Inorganic Chemistry at MIT. He had fond memories of their life in Cambridge, including frequenting the many markets and riding his bicycle down Massachusetts Avenue to get to the MIT campus. They were very happy to have the opportunity to stay in New England when Roger was offered a position in the Chemistry Department at Dartmouth, where he taught from 1962 until his retirement. He often told people later in life that he had 'the best job in the world'. He played an integral role in the planning and construction of Burke Hall Science Complex, and is remembered by countless students from his General Chemistry courses. He was an avid White Mountain hiker and explorer of the woods around the Upper Valley, and was a well-recognized figure riding his bicycle around Hanover.

Roger is preceded in death by his wife Mary, his son Dan (Silvia), his parents Victor and Grace (Hamilton) Soderberg, brother DIck (Mim) and sister Jean. He is survived by his younger sister Nancy Harrold (Jack), son Tim (Naoko), and grandchildren Eduardo, Marisol, Jorge, Midori, and Kentaro, along with an extended family. A memorial service will be held at Kendal at Hanover at a later date.

An on-line guestbook can be found at rand-wilson.com