J Frank Roller

J. Frank Roller, loving husband and father, and lifelong resident of Kingsport, passed away after a short illness on November 13, 2021 at the age of 93, at the Waters of Johnson City. Born in Kingsport on September 22, 1928, he was preceded in death by his parents Chaus and Mary Wolfe Roller, brother Rev. Homer C. Roller, beloved wife Marion Vivian Roller, and son Scott Anthony Roller.

Frank is survived by his loving wife of 16 years, Pauline Jennings Roller, daughters Andrea and Sherree Roller, sons-in-law Robert Rowell and David Janson, grandchildren Olivia Diane Leonard and Anders Wolfe Janson, great-granddaughter Kyra Nicole Leonard and stepdaughters Donna Hiner, Deborah Russell, and Beverly Short. He is also survived by sister-in-law and brother-in-law Sherrell and Dean Feathers, sister-in-law Doshia M. Roller, and nieces Linda Childress, Karen Hensley, and Mitzi Stinnett.

He was a member of Vermont Methodist Church for many years where he loved to hear his brother Homer and Pastor Danny Hensley preach. Frank also loved the ministry of music so rich in his family.

Frank graduated from Sullivan High School in Kingsport. He was an Army veteran who served in occupied Japan and proudly participated in Veteran’s Day celebrations. Frank retired from the Mead, where he worked for 40 years as a respected tender on machine number 5 and was honored with a 100 percent safety record.

Frank’s life was centered around family and friends. Known for his enduring smile, he was instantly a friend to everyone he met. He loved to spin a humorous tale, especially over a good meal. He was proud of his children’s accomplishments and for the opportunity to provide loving care to his wife Marion during her struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

The family would like to say a special thanks for the support and loving guidance given by Karen Hensley, Linda and James Childress, and Sherrell and Dean Feathers. We would also like to thank the thoughtful and caring staff at Brookdale Rock Springs and the Waters of Johnson City for their exceptional kindness and skills, especially Jeremy.

Frank loved the animal companions that journeyed with him through his life. He also enjoyed planting trees, feeding birds, and gardening.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation in honor of his memory to ASPCA (www.aspca.org) or local pet rescue and adoption shelter, or to the Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org).

Frank will be laid to rest beside his wife, Marion, on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 3:00pm at East Lawn Memorial Park in the Garden of Apostles, officiated by Chaplin Jeffery Hammer. Military Honors bestowed by American Legion Post 3/265 and the Virginia Army National Guard.

The following are stories that Frank would tell and the family wants to share.

The Red Mustang and the Sycamore Tree.

Frank always loved cars and was an excellent mechanic. He would buy and fix used cars,

but he really loved getting a new car. His dream car was a brand new red 1965 Ford Mustang.

About a week after he brought it home, Mom was driving the car to run some errands and

parked it in the driveway in front of the house. My brother Scott was in the front yard playing and

I was in the backyard swinging on the swing set. I heard Scott yelling for Mom like something

was seriously wrong. I went around to the carport just in time to see the Mustang rolling through

the fence at the edge of the yard. But nobody was driving!

Scott was yelling for Mom "Come quick the car is moving!" Mom was doing her best to

ignore him and get supper on the table. Meanwhile the car was picking up speed and cutting

through the meadow in front of the house. I started yelling too and Mom came out and saw the situation but by that time the Mustang was galloping full tilt down the hill towards a rock

outcropping. All three of us stood there and watched as the car sailed off the rock like it was a ski jump and became airborne. We heard a big crash after the car flew out of view. We ran

down the hill and saw that it had landed on top of a big sycamore tree. It was the only tree in the whole field and somehow that car had aimed straight for it. How do you get a car out of the top of a tree? Mom was horrified!

We all thought there would be hell to pay when Dad got home. I can't imagine what Frank

must have thought when he came home from work and saw his dream car in the top of a 65-foot

tree. I don't remember any "Dad fits "or how they got the car down. All I know is Dad cut that

huge old sycamore tree down and never replaced the Red Mustang. I did notice Mom driving a

lot of used cars after that. When I asked him about it years later he said "Some dreams are not

meant to last! I couldn't get too mad at your Mom because I never taught her to set the parking

brake on a car. But I could get mad at that old sycamore!"

The tomato growing competition

Dad, Homer and neighbor Charles Young each put out their own vegetable gardens every year. There was always an unspoken competition to see who could put out a bigger, better garden and grow the biggest tomatoes. As the years went by the gardens got bigger and the yield was way more than three families could eat. Marion, Doshia and Rita did their best to can and freeze the extras but there was always a lot left over. The women tried to get the men to cut back, but where is the fun in that?

When Mom got Parkinson's disease, Dad needed to spend more time caring for her.

Homer and Doshia suggested that Frank forgo his garden and just eat out of Charles' and Homer's. Dad agreed, cleaned out his plot, and hauled the refuse to the compost pile at the end of the fence row. He sowed the plot in alfalfa and called it done.

The next year two or three volunteer tomato plants sprouted out of the compost pile and produced the biggest tomatoes that Dad had ever grown! Homer said "Frank, you beat me

without even trying!" Dad said, "I guess the lord will provide in a time of need - and Homer will provide the corn."

Love is the only thing that really matters

When I was a young mother, I was fretting to my dad about not doing everything right as a parent. He said to me that the only thing that matters in this world is love. Love your child with all your heart and he will learn to love others. And if you make a mistake, be willing to go back and fix it. This teaches a child that parents are only human. Mistakes will happen and they can be rectified. Making amends leads to forgiveness. This was the best parenting advice I ever received, and I tried my best to put it into practice. My son Anders has turned out to be as loving, thoughtful, and kind as his grandfather. What a blessing!

A Rooster named Rojo and the Graveyard Shift

My Dad worked shift work at the Mead and getting enough sleep was always a problem.

Every week his schedule was different so he would need to sleep at different times. We had a

rooster named Ole Rojo who would crow at odd hours of the night and wake dad up.

It was the graveyard shift and Dad had to get up and go to work at one in the morning. He had gone to bed at eight pm and was sound asleep. Andy, my older sister had snuck out of the house to rendezvous with her boyfriend at the school merry go round. Everyone else had gone to bed and were fast asleep.

At about ten thirty, Rojo started crowing his head off. Dad grabbed his shotgun and

started shooting it out the window trying to scare that rooster into silence. Rojo crowed even

louder. By this time Andy thought Dad was coming after her boyfriend. Mom bolted upright and said, "Frank,have you lost your mind?"

Dad went stomping down the hall and out the back door. By this time, me and Scott had

opened our window to see what all the commotion was about. Andy was running back to the

house and saw dad pick up a big rock and throw it at Rojo. Rojo sidestepped the rock at the last

minute and it hit Dad's best laying hen square in the head. That hen flopped over dead. Dad

went up and grabbed the chicken and started dowsing its head in a bucket of water trying to

revive it. The whole family was watching Dad, clad only in his white underwear, out under a full moon dowsing a chicken in a bucket of water. The scene was so funny we all started laughing. Dad started laughing too. Even Rojo was cackling at the absurdity of it all.

Andy snuck safely back into the house. We all went back to bed. And the next day, Rojo

mysteriously disappeared. I don't recall what happened to him, but I suspected the answer had

become clear when we were eating chicken and dumplings in the middle of the week.

The Lord's prayer and a journey to forgiveness

One day last summer, I was visiting Dad at a nursing home, and he asked me a question.

"Do you ever pray and what prayer do you like?" t responded " t don't pray very often but when I

do I start with the Lord's prayer. The problem is that it is often chanted in a rote fashion, and it is

easy to lose the meaning of the words. I have taken to just meditating on one line at a time to

unpack the meaning."

Frank told me he heard that Jesus taught his disciples to pray with this prayer and he told them it was the only prayer they needed to get to God. Let's talk about it together." We went through it from the beginning, and all was going smoothly until we got to "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us." Dad said it is hard to forgive people who have wronged you. Maybe they don't deserve my forgiveness. t posited the idea that there was a reason Jesus put the two things together in one sentence. You can't expect God to forgive you for your sins if you are not willing to forgive others. Besides forgiving others also makes you feel better. It is good to let go of grievance and accept that love is a better use of your emotional energy.

Dad said it is hard to forgive people who are dead. Will they even know? I said," I believe

you can ask God to tell them. But the most important person to tell is yourself. Nobody is perfect

in this earthly realm. We need to cut each other a break. Especially ourselves." Dad got quiet

and said l am going to think about that. And think he did. He became very accepting of his

situation and mellowed into a state of grace. He told my sister that he knew God loved him and

he was ready to go to a better place. We never finished unpacking the rest of the Lord's prayer,

but I bet his brother Homer in heaven would love to do that with him!

The Power of Reinvention

One of the things I am the proudest about was Frank's capacity for reinvention. He

experienced a devastating blow when his wife and son died within days of each other. His whole

household was wiped out in a weekend. He was exhausted and bereft and instead of falling into

despair he reinvented his life. He felt life was a precious gift and that it should not be wasted on

self-pity. He said, "I need to get about the business of finding love and happiness."

Within a year, he found Pauline, sold the home place, bought a condo, got a new wardrobe and a new car. When people around him urged slowing down and taking more time, he said he was going to plow a new road to happiness and there was no time to lose." He went about it with his usual grace and skill.

What a treasure he found in Pauline! My Dad always had good taste in women. She has been a blessing for our whole family. Andy and I are amazed at our good fortune. Pauline has brought Dad so many wonderful experiences and new adventures. They have taken turns supporting each other through good and rough times. Together they managed to weave a new chapter for the end of Frank's life. May we all have the grace and fortitude to follow their example!

Frank and Homer cut down a tree

Dad always loved animals. When he was a kid he had a pet chicken that he would haul around in a little red wagon. His mom would only let him have the sick ones for a pet and they kept dying on him. Eventually he graduated to owning a dog with his brother Homer. I think his name was Rover. Dad bragged about what a smart dog he was. He taught Rover to climb up a ladder in the barn so they could play together in the hayloft. When I asked Dad how he got that dog down from the loft, he said," I taught him how to come down the ladder too!" Smart dog indeed!

One day Frank and Homers' father told them to go up to the upper field and chop down a tree. Homer picked up the axe and saw and Frank called Rover and off they went. They were too young to know what they were doing but knew they better figure it out. Their Dad did not put up with shirkers. They hacked and sawed and when the tree started to fall, they realized the tree was falling towards the dog. The dog took off running on the same line as the falling tree. Dad and Homer watched in horror at the coming demise of their beloved dog. Frank was sure the dog was a goner. But Rover outran the oncoming disaster of the tree and kept on going all the way back to the house without looking back. When Homer and Dad got back to the house, the dog stayed away from those reckless brothers for a few days. But the dog forgave them sooner than Dad forgave himself. Dad said he felt bad about that for years, long after the dog had died of natural causes.

Maybe that is one reason Dad always took good care of his animal companions. He had

close pet friends throughout his life and he told me," You can learn valuable lessons from all of God's creatures if you only know enough to pay attention." He felt his pets had their own kind of wisdom, and he never underestimated their capacity for love, loyalty and self preservation.