In loving memory of
Roger Barry Nedoba

• January 05, 1942
• -
• June 13, 2023

Beech vacatie

Roger and I have been close friends for over 60 years and I will forever treasure the many memories and good times we shared. The vast majority of our interactions, as you might expect, revolved around Roger’s beloved vocation and avocation…….the sport of golf. Our friendship began back in high school when we were on the golf team, caddied and worked on the grounds crew at Riverside Country Club together. While at Riverside we built a mutual friendship with Tom Chlapecka and Menard Heydanek. Together we became known as the “Fearsome Foursome” and shared many enjoyable rounds of golf together. One of the highlights back then was our famous “Annual Dinner Party”. Each year when Roger’s parents went on vacation, the four of us prepared and hosted a gourmet dinner party for our dates at Roger’s house. It was a simple and innocent time, that was big part of our growing years. In our later years, we still managed to find time to golf together in spite of the miles that had separated us. We had two particularly memorable golf tips together. After I purchased a vacation home in Florida, I hosted a golf outing where we played four different courses in the Tampa area. On that trip we took a picture of the four of us that constantly reminds of the happy times we had together. Our last trip was to Winona, Minnesota where Roger played on the golf team at St. Mary’s University. Roger loved going there to escape the Florida summer heat and renew memories of his prime golfing years. This was the last time the four of us were together and able to share what was probably one of Roger’s last rounds of golf before illness prevented him from playing any longer.
Throughout his lifetime, I have always known Roger to be upbeat, laughing and kind to others. However, two traits that stand out for me were his dedication and positive attitude. Roger was thoroughly dedicated to golf and was one of the few people I know that probably spent 10 times the amount of time practicing to perfect his game rather than playing (just the opposite of most of us). He was also very dedicated to his whole family and especially to his daughter Lisa in whom he instilled his passion for golf and helped become an All American, NCAA Champion at the University of Florida. Roger’s positive attitude was present apparent from our first meeting. However, it was never more so than when he was incapacitated and spent his last few years confined to a hospital bed. I routinely called Roger and also had the opportunity to visit him while on a tip to Naples. It never failed to amaze me how he never complained about his situation, kept his Catholic faith, and remained positive & optimistic when faced with such a difficult situation.
Our “fearsome foursome” is now a twosome. I hope that Roger and Menard are thoroughly enjoying themselves on some “heavenly” golf course and thinking of all of us who remember them.