Mr. Richard Eugene Roach

My father, Richard Eugene Roach, was an extraordinary individual and will be sorely missed. We lost him from this world on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023. At 91 years old he saw a lot of different time periods from WWII to the current age of computers and robots. When he was a child, in the 1930’s, he built 4 wagons with his grandfather who was a blacksmith. He married his high school sweetheart, Norma Lockey Roach who survived him. They were married 73 years and Richard loved her each and every one of those 73 years. He served his country in the Korean War, played football in high school and in the Air Force and played in a western swing band in the Texas hill country. He loved music and was an accomplished professional musician and singer playing the violin, guitar, mandolin & steel guitar. Richard was also an inventor and entrepreneur in the oil exploration industry. The equipment he designed allowed them to retire quite early. Richard had three children, Melanie Roach Thompson, (husband Byron Jay Thompson & granddaughter, Melanie Jeanne Roach Thompson), Richard Eugene “Gene” Roach II (deceased April 2015) and Jonathan Daniel Roach. He made them bows and arrows, coached football, hid candy under their pillows for a surprise and grew giant pumpkins for Halloween. When the children were little, Richard taught each of them to play an instrument - piano, electric guitar and drums - and how to play Western Swing. And we’re sure he’s playing music in heaven today and having long talks with his son, Gene.