Roger Dorsey Troxell, long time resident of Lafayette, CA, passed away at home on September 29, 2023, of natural causes.
Roger was born on August 2, 1928, in Oakland, CA, to Prof. George Earl Troxell and Inez Dorsey Troxell. He was raised in Kensington, CA, the oldest of three siblings. As a young boy he was so fascinated by the construction of the original Oakland San Francisco Bay Bridge that once, on a family outing to the circus, he voiced his disappointment at not being taken to the bridge construction site instead. As a youth, Roger was active in Boy Scouts and Sea Scouts and enjoyed sailing on the Bay, as well as building intricate model ships. During his early years, Roger’s parents enjoyed spending time camping and visiting national parks. On one such trip to Yellowstone National Park, Roger got a bit too close to one of the boiling pools and was severely burned on his lower leg. Many years later, he would show the resulting scar to his own children as a cautionary warning to follow all posted safety rules and the directions of one’s elders.
Roger attended the local public schools, graduating with the first class to go all the way through El Cerrito Junior /Senior High School in 1946. He continued his education at UC Berkeley, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He went on to receive his BS in Civil Engineering in 1951 and became a life member of the Cal Alumni Association. As part of an ROTC program, he became an officer in the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1952, the night before shipping out for Korea, Roger attended a USO sponsored dance for military officers at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. It was there that he met and spent the entire evening with his future wife, Polly Ann Asher.
After the war ended in 1953, they reunited. Polly continued to live and work in San Francisco, while Roger worked as an Engineer on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and pursued his masters degree at UC Berkeley. They were married on February 5, 1955 in San Francisco. In 1959, after a few years living in San Francisco, Pasadena, and Berkeley, the couple moved to Lafayette, where they raised their three children in a neighborhood bustling with many other young families and children. Roger was especially happy to escape the cold, summer fog of Berkeley! Spring would often find them on a road trip to Arizona to visit Polly’s relatives, while in the summer they enjoyed taking camping vacations in the mountains to the Cal Alumni Association’s Lair of the Golden Bear and Berkeley’s Tuolumne Camp. Fall was both football and opera season, and Roger and Polly were avid fans of both. They maintained season tickets to the S.F. Opera for many years, and to Cal Football games for over 40 years. Together, they also loved traveling to numerous destinations in the US, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia.
Roger spent the majority of his career at Kaiser Engineers in Oakland, CA, managing a variety of projects throughout the US and abroad. After his retirement in 1993, he continued to enjoy traveling with Polly, working in his yard and various home maintenance projects, as well as attending his grandchildren’s various concerts, performances, graduations, and sporting events.
Roger was predeceased by his parents, George Earl and Inez Dorsey Troxell, and his beloved wife, Polly Ann Troxell. He is survived by his sisters, Joan Jacks and Rosalind (Dave) Stelle; three children, Barbara (Michael) Day, William (Cheri) Troxell, and Suzan (James) Anglim; grandchildren, Keegan (Aiko), Christopher (Cameron), Carolyn (Tony), Ryan (Lea), and Guinevere; two great-grandchildren, Ocean and Savanna; and many nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.
The family wishes to acknowledge the kind and loving care given to Roger by Jaena, Bing, Vera, and Emmy these past 3½ years. Thanks is also extended to the Hope Hospice staff who attended Roger during his last 3-½ months with such care and respect.
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