Roger W. Crist

Roger W. Crist, age 76, passed away peacefully on July 31, 2010 surrounded by his family. Roger was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 23, 1934 to Herbert and Irene Crist. There he met and married the love of his life, Patricia, and they spent the next 57 years together. Roger loved and was deeply committed to his family. He and Patricia raised five sons, David, John, Jim, Steve, and Mike who in turn gave them five lovely and talented daughters-in-law and eleven grandchildren, all of whom are well above average. Roger's peers regarded him as one of the top professionals in the country in his chosen field of corrections. He served as a Prison Warden in Arizona and Montana, and was the Director of Corrections in New Mexico. He took particular pleasure in designing and overseeing the construction of state-of-the-art facilities, and in mentoring his staff, passing along lessons he had learned in his long career. In retirement, Roger and Patricia split their time between Tucson and Minnow Lake in Northern Wisconsin. They were always glad to escape the heat of the desert in May and equally glad to return to the sunshine of Tucson in October. Roger is survived by his wife, Patricia, his five sons and their wives, eleven grandchildren and his sister, Barbara Oleson. He will be deeply missed and long remembered as a kind and loving husband, father, grandpa, and brother. Services will be held in Minneapolis. The family asks that memorials be sent to: ARC, 2446 University Ave. W. Suite #110, St. Paul, MN 55114 or www.arcgreatertwincities.org.