Roger Mack Leachman

Roger Leachman died March 19th in Portland, OR. He was 83. Roger was born in Stillwater, OK on June 3, 1942 to parents Mildred & Oakley Leachman. Though his family relocated to Richmond, VA when he was 8, Roger was always proud of his Oklahoma roots. After graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, Roger attended the University of Pennsylvania. His studies were interrupted when he was drafted, and he served in the 24th Infantry Division of the Army. He was stationed in Germany and he used every leave opportunity he had to go to orchestra concerts, operas, and plays across the country and occasionally across Europe. Upon his discharge from the Army, Roger returned to the University of Pennsylvania and completed his degree in English. Roger later went to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill to earn his Master’s in Library Science. It was there that Roger met his future wife NancyJo; the two married in 1973 and divorced in 1998. They had two children together, Emily and Jimmy.

Roger had a career as a librarian that spanned over 30 years and included librarian positions at The University of Virginia, SELCO in southeastern Minnesota, Rochester Public Library, also in Minnesota, and CADL in Lansing, Michigan. After retirement, he relocated to Portland, OR in 2011. A lifelong bicycle rider, Roger loved Portland’s bike-friendly culture and infrastructure. Roger’s other passions included classical music, English literature, hiking, cooking, and baking. Roger was pre-deceased by father Oakley Leachman, mother Mildred (MacNeff) Leachman, brother-in-law Raymond Lescault, and former spouse Nancy Jo (Lordeman) Leachman. He is survived by sister Linda (Leachman) Lescault, daughter Emily Leachman, son Jimmy Leachman, daughter-in-law Heather Leachman Beck, son-in-law Alejandro Vargas, grandchildren Elliot Vargas & Verona Leachman, and five nephews. In lieu of flowers, Roger requested donations to The Nature Conservancy.