1937 - 2014
Born in 1937, in Santa Monica, CA, Roger Sandmeier was the only son of Emil and Gertrud Hess Sandmeier. Named to honor the memory of cowboy star and philanthropist Will Rogers (his parents’ former employer), he was raised and educated in Pacific Palisades, Westwood, and Brentwood. He enlisted in the Air Force and served for four years as a radar specialist. Following his honorable discharge, he began a career as a manufacturer’s representative for electronic components, a booming industry in aerospace and technology-centric Los Angeles. Roger met his future wife, Carol, at the mailbox in his apartment building. After only a few months, they were engaged, and were married in 1962. The couple eventually settled in the west San Fernando Valley where they raised their three children. In the 1980s, he purchased a 1930 Model A Ford coupe and spent the rest of his life rebuilding and maintaining his prized car. Roger and Carol traveled many miles in their Model A, both on their own and as part of several Model A clubs, even shipping their car to Europe twice for extended tours. In 2005, the Sandmeiers moved to a small farm in Gardnerville, NV in the Carson Valley. They enjoyed being involved in the local community, making a whole set of new friends, and feeling like they were on perpetual vacation. Roger was an active volunteer, especially with the Main Street Gardnerville Heritage Park Gardens project. The couple loved to travel and visit family and friends around the world and recently enjoyed a wonderful reunion with longtime friends (a.k.a the “Cookbook Committee”). For much of his life, Roger was involved in Masonry, joining the Riviera Lodge 780 in 1959 and affiliating with Carson Valley Lodge 33 after relocating to Nevada. He was also a member of the Scottish Rite and most recently, the Kerak Shrine. He was an Elder in the Presbyterian church, and was also a member of the Presbytery and Synod leadership. For the past eight years, he proudly served on the board of the Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center at Lake Tahoe, most recently as chair of the capital campaign. Roger is survived by his beloved wife of almost 52 years, Carol, son Scott and daughters Heidi and Trudi, son-in-law Bob, daughter-in-law Claudia, and four grandchildren Matt, Ryan, Paul, and Ian, as well as extended family in Switzerland. He will be remembered by his many friends as a man with a big heart and a wry sense of humor. He will be remembered by his family as “the best”. A celebration of Roger’s life will be held on August 15, 2014 at 1 p.m. at the Zephyr Point Conference Center near South Lake Tahoe. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Zephyr Point Fresh Horizon Campaign in memory of Roger Sandmeier (mail checks to Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center, P.O. Box 289, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 or donate online at http://zephyrpoint.org/giving).