Roger Louis Gits, 79, writer, reader, musician, artist, golfer, adventurer, father, brother, generous volunteer, sportsman, lover of the LA Dodgers, and free spirit, passed away peacefully, although unexpectedly, at Mesilla Valley Hospice in Las Cruces, N.M., on Aug. 10, 2021, from metastatic lung cancer. His brother, Dennis, sister-in-law, Connie, and beloved partner, Debbie (or “Nina”, as he calls her), were at his side.
Roger was born on Oct. 28, 1941, in Los Angeles, and spent the majority of his childhood in Mason City, where his parents, Robert and Mildred Gits, had a café. He subsequently graduated from high school in L.A., spent two years in the Army at White Sands Missle Range, and then attended the University of California at Fullerton. He married Dawn Cochran in 1968, had three children, and worked as a factory sales representative for many years.
Later in life, he pursued his love of golf, and his talent for writing short stories. He traveled across the U.S., living in Savannah, Ga., Arkansas and Oklahoma. He settled in St. Paul in 1993 for nearly a decade. There, he worked at the Sweet Shoppe, and then at Thirsty Mikes. In his free time, he wrote stories dealing with love and life. He loved living in St. Paul and was near his cousins in Grand Island.
In the early 2000s, he moved in his motorhome to northern New Mexico, ultimately settling in remote Hillsboro, N.M. He spent a year in Guanajuato, Mexico, writing and studying Spanish. In 2014, he met his final love, “Nina,” and moved to Deming, N.M., where he lived contentedly until his death. They shared many travel adventures on their Yamaha Royal Star Venture. He was a member of the ACLU and active supporter of human rights.
He leaves his children, Monica Gits Jacobs, Jill Gits Szymkiewicz, and Michael August Gits, and six grandchildren, all of the Portland, Ore., area. He also leaves his younger brother, Dennis, and wife, Connie, of Seattle and his dear partner, Deborah Gwin of Deming, N.M.
There will be no formal service, but his ashes will be scattered at a later date in the Hazard Cemetery, where his parents rest. Fly free, Roger, like the soaring bird you always wanted to be.
