Obituary for
Roger Cromer Doerr
Roger Cromer Doerr passed away on January 15, 2017, in Vero Beach, Florida, where he had resided since 1988. At 79 years old, he was still always ready with his friendly smile, happy wink, and quiet courage. He loved having his family by his side.
Roger was born on July 10, 1937, in Wilmington, Delaware, and spent most of his childhood in Columbus, Ohio. He attended Upper Arlington High School, and Ohio University (class of ‘60), where he double-majored in Mechanical Engineering and Commerce and was President of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.
His long career as an entrepreneur included stints as a restaurant owner, yacht broker, and real estate broker, but he really left his mark as a state certified general contractor and developer for over 45 years in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Vero Beach, Florida. His careful attention to detail is plain to see in more than 100 homes and multiple residential developments including Woodfield Hunt Club, Deer Run, Bermuda Bay, Marbrisa, and The Estuary, each creatively and exactingly designed and constructed.
For all of the permanence of his building projects, his many hobbies seem to share a common theme of being “on the move” in one way or another – he built a hot-rod in high school, and always loved beautiful cars; he set up a 50-foot high radio tower in the back yard and swapped QSL cards with amateur radio operators from all around the world; and he loved being barefoot in the islands on a tall ship.
His lifelong passion, however, was flying airplanes. He learned to fly as a teenager in Ohio, where he and his father shared a Cessna 172. He eventually also earned commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings. He briefly served with the Air Force Reserves in Europe, and later had great fun flying small planes all over the country and beyond. In 1993, he set the flight airspeed record in his Piper Saratoga, from New Orleans, LA, to Kittyhawk, NC, which has yet to be broken.
Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Roger Mitchell Doerr and Jane Cromer Doerr, and his brother William H. Doerr. He is survived by his daughter Kendall Jane’ Doerr, of New York, NY; his sons Scott Christopher Doerr and Ryan Patrick Doerr, of Charlotte, NC, and Vero Beach, FL, respectively; and their mother Sally Jane Woods of Vero Beach, FL.
The family will receive friends Monday, January 23, 2017 from 4:30-5:30 pm at Cox Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home, 1950 20th St. Vero Beach, FL. 32960, followed by a Celebration of Life Service at 5:30 pm, in the funeral home chapel. Online condolences may be shared at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com
