Roger Wayne Kallstrom, 84, beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother passed away peacefully at Cape Cod Hospital on November 29, 2024. He is survived by his wife (of 60 years) Sally, his daughter Ingrid Bosco, her husband Anthony and their sons Domenic and Adam and his daughter Thyra Guillmette and her husband Mark and their daughters Piper and Hazel.
Roger was born in Worcester, MA on August 18, 1940. He was predeceased by his parents, Todd and Edna Kallstrom, and his brother, James. He is survived by his sister Lynn Cangelosi.
He grew up in Millbury, MA and graduated from Millbury High School. He went on to the University of Massachusetts and graduated with a B.S. in Landscape Architecture. He was a practicing landscape architect for forty years at various firms in Boston and Cambridge until founding Kallstrom Landscape Architects in 1991. He remembered the botanical names of trees and plants and had no problem rattling them off at will.
He was a founding member of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA) and was passionate about landscape design and the importance of preservation of urban green spaces. The father of Landscape Architecture, Frederick Law Olmstead, was an inspirational figure for Roger.
Roger was proud of his Swedish heritage. He often wore a Swedish flag on his lapel or on his hat, and at Christmas time he would make glogg and gift it to his friends, much to their delight.
Roger, Sally and their daughters started coming to Chatham in the mid 80s, and as a family they spent many happy vacations there. In 2001 Roger and Sally decided to move to Chatham permanently.
He was a die hard Red Sox fan. When the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 it was a dream come true for him. He would listen to games on his radio and regularly checked in with the box scores in the morning paper.
Roger loved being a grandfather and his grandchildren knew him as “Poppy”. He loved fishing off the bridge with them, digging in the sand, going to Dairy Queen, watching them ride their bikes in the driveway and driving them on Nauset beach in his 4Runner.
In his retirement he enjoyed serving the citizens of Chatham as he drove the Chatham Council on Aging van.
He was kind, curious, honest, easy going, intelligent, funny, quirky, creative, interesting, calm and a good listener. He will be greatly missed.
Roger’s family would like to thank the caregivers at Cape Cod Hospital and Mass General Brigham who oversaw his care. In lieu of flowers the family suggests that you make a blood donation to your local blood donation center.
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