On January 26, 2024, Roland Gustav Frederich Johann Droitsch passed away in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born in Berlin, Germany on November 17, 1941, Roland's life was marked by a dedication to family and career.

Roland arrived to NYC, New York in 1947 with his mother and sister and then moved to the Aldrich Rokeby estate where he formed lifelong friendships.

Roland married Helen in 1966, welcoming daughters Danielle and Nicole. While divorcing in 1988, they remained close friends. Roland is survived by his sister Ingrid, her husband Lazlo, and nephew Christian. Roland loved his stepchildren, Ria and Gabrielle, from his second marriage to Leah. He was proud of his grandchildren: Callahan, Charlie, Eleanor, Ada Mae, and Abraham.

After graduating from Canterbury ('59) and Columbia College ('63), Roland earned a Master's from Syracuse University in '66 and a Ph.D. from Georgetown in '76. As Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor, Roland led policy development that still benefits American workers today.

A private family funeral is planned. A memorial service will be held on March 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Legacy Village in Salt Lake City. Contact [email protected] to attend in person. Join by Zoom by registering at https://droitsch.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Washington Post on Feb. 11, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Roland Droitsch

5 Entries

Bill Kupersmith

February 13, 2024

Roland and I were classmates. In the Canterbury School class of `59. I was pleased to see him again at the school´s Centennial celebration in 2015. My condolences to his family and gratitude for fond memories.

Phyllis Shea

February 12, 2024

Dear Danielle, Nicole and all the Droitsch Family,
My children, Phyllis Jim, John, Andrew and I send our sympathy on the death of your father. Andrew, my youngest, remembers your father playing the violin in the back yard of your Jackson Street home. I remember him as a fine, kind and caring gentleman. And a very loving father. I send my love to all of you.
Phyllis Shea

Stephen Shafer

February 2, 2024

A scholar with joie de vivre, an autodidact with gusto
And the smile!

thomas harvey

February 1, 2024

I´m hesitant to be the first to comment on Roland´s incredible life, but someone has to start this off...

He often enjoyed writing short poems so I offer this in memory of a man who always cared about others...

In honor of Roland
-----

Some people you meet, you never forget.

You look back and say, so glad we met.

Our paths took some twists, and then some turns.

But as we get older, a lesson one learns.

Good friends don´t die, they live on in our hearts.

Thank you God for sharing Roland, and all of his smarts.

He lived his life by helping others.
Sons and daughters, fathers and mothers.

His contributions are way too many to list.
But after all he´s accomplished, you get the gist.

So goodbye for now Roland our dear friend.
We´ll see you again at times end.

Ria M. Riesner

February 1, 2024

When my mother first met Roland (I was almost 5 years old) I remember being scared because I was just confused about (who was this new stranger in our home?) I was just a little girl. But Roland put me right at ease right away. I remember he asked if I liked ice cream. I said yes! We went out for ice cream. We instantly got along! Some of my favorite memories of Roland were going on long sailing trips on the Atlantic Ocean as a family, going to Smithsonian museums together all over Washington, DC, Rugga would take my sister Gabs and I to Take Your Daughter to Work days at the US Department of Labor. I remember spending so much time when I was little Rolands secretaries at DOL (a lively bunch of primarily Af-Am lady secretaries) would always sit me down and start braiding my hair in Rolands front office. My mother would drive in from VA to DOL to pick Rugga up from the office and we would always go have happy hour and we'd often eat dinner at this one restaurant/bar just next to DOL. Roland always ordered my sister Gabs and I shirley temples. I will always remember going for long soaks in the hot tub or just vegging out in the sauna in the house where we all lived in Arlington, VA with Roland. Fun pool parties and going for long walks in local parks, all of the times that Roland played lovely private violin concerts at home. I also will always remember that Roland (when he first met me as a 5 year old) always remembered how much I loved to read, so Roland (Rugga to me) would always leave stacks of great books at the foot of my bed, usually Russian and German literature, or books on Greek and Roman philosophers, books on the history of WWII in particular. I truly value the time that I had with Rugga after his serious brain injury that Rugga suffered. I felt so grateful to have that time with Rugga, as he relearned to walk, read, drive a car, use a computer, do any executive organization at all. That accident was so scary at first because we werent sure if Roland would survive, but he surprised us all. When Roland was relearning to walk after the accident, after months of rehabilitation at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in DC (which we went to together a lot for Rolands doctors appointments with his neurologists and physical therapists, etc) he seemed at first as if he was resigned to sitting on the couch by a roaring fire reading all of the books in the Library of Congress (to which we made many trips together doing research on WWII, other topics) I made a deal with Rugga and said we'll start slow. Today, we'll walk to the end of the block, but every day we'll walk twice as far. We did that together and by the end of a few more months, Rugga (and Ria) walked 5 miles together on a very windy day. Roland complained (and jokingly asked if I was trying to kill him) but I was SO proud of Roland. He toughed it out until he walked that whole 5 miles! I also will always remember going to lots of Classical music concerts together at different venues around Washington, DC and out to dinner at some of our favorite spots around the city. Also I will always fondly recall going for so many lovely nature walks around Roosevelt Island on the Potomac River, and in Rock Creek Park in DC and at the US National Arboretum, and just spending afternoons walking through the US Botanical Gardens and many other places. Roland coming to competitive rowing regattas at the Potomac Boat Club in Georgetown in Washington, DC when my sissies Nicole, Ria and Gabs rowed in rowing races is another great Rugga memory. Rugga would always be up in the balcony at the boat house with a cocktail cheering us on! I will also always remember when Rugga would take trips up from DC to Cambridge, MA when I was in undergrad at Harvard University. I would show Rugga all around campus, and we'd explore the many wonderful libraries at Harvard University together and I'd take Roland around to all of my favorite little haunts around Cambridge, MA. Holidays with Roland were some of the most fun memories too we'd go see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and go all together to get a giant Christmas tree. Roland would play Christmas songs on the violin and we'd read classic Christmas stories by firelight.

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