Roger W. LeValley, 83, passed away peacefully on April 6. He was born in Long Branch to Lawrence and Ruth (Thompson) LeValley. Before and into his teen years, he was an accomplished roller skater and performed ballroom dancing on roller skates at the Singing Wheels Arena in Shrewsbury (now the World Market). He graduated from Shrewsbury Borough School in 1949 and Red Bank Regional High School in 1953. He was a Shrewsbury resident all of his life.
Roger started his business career with Progressive Life Insurance Company, Red Bank, during his senior year in high school. After 36 years of service with Progressive, he retired in 1989 as senior vice president and secretary of the company. He then pursued his hobby of floral designing on a full-time basis, having done so on a part-time basis for over fifty years. For the last 10 of his active retirement years, he was a crossing guard for the Borough of Little Silver.
Roger was a member of the Red Bank United Methodist Church since 1959. He was a member of the Red Bank Elks Club #433 since 1987 and a member of the Shrewsbury Homesteaders Senior Citizens Group and a past member of the Monmouth County Board of Elections.
Roger and his wife Shirley were dedicated ballroom dancers and spent enjoyable times dancing at the Molly Pitcher Inn or the Olde Union House, both in Red Bank.
Up until the time when his health started to deteriorate, he kept an immaculate lawn and his flowerbeds were second to none.
Roger was an animal lover. For years he raised many animals and would take in and help any animal that was in distress. Roger also was an ardent fisherman, having spent many enjoyable days fishing the Navesink River with his dad and his good friends, Charles Coffey and Wayne Coulson.
Roger is predeceased by his parents and his wife, Shirley in 2007 after 49 years of marriage. He is survived by his daughters, Melodie (Russell) Kerber of Burlington, Kentucky; Laura (John) VanVelthoven; and Suzanne (Thomas) Sutton; four grandchildren, Brad and Alec VanVelthoven and Ellen and Kyle Sutton, all of Shrewsbury; a brother and sister-in-law Charles (Donna) LeValley of Carleton, Michigan; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Constance and Wilfred Marriner of Port Charlotte, Florida; and several nieces and nephews. Roger’s family would like to thank the Cappadonna family and all of Roger’s caregivers at Bayside Manor who provided him with exemplary care and comfort for the past two years.
Visitation was April 10 at the Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, with a funeral service on April 11 at the United Methodist Church of Red Bank. Interment followed at Fair View Cemetery in Middletown. In Lieu of flowers, donations to the Monmouth County SPCA, 90 Wall St., Eatontown, NJ 07724, would be appreciated.
