Roger A. James

A Tribute to the Life of Roger A. James (husband of Nancy James):

Roger was born on August 15, 1931 in Decatur, Illinois. He lived in Forsyth, Illinois, attended Maroa-Forsyth schools and graduated in 1949. He attended and graduated from Millikin University and Northern Illinois University and became a teacher after his army service.

Roger was a Korean War veteran serving in the Army, February 15, 1952 to September 15, 1953. In Korea he drove a truck carrying supplies to the front lines in the vicinity of the 38th parallel. He came back to the U.S. on the first ship that returned Korean War prisoners. He always talked about how heartbreaking it was to see these men and how they had suffered.

In 1951, he married Nancy Bolen and in 1959 moved to Blue Island to teach in District 218 for 30 years. They have two children, Gregory and Rhea, and now have seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He retired from Richards High School in Oak Lawn.

Roger passed away on October 21, 2013 and is at rest in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.