He was born on March 31, 1945, to Clare and Audrey (Phillips) Royle in Mason City, Nebraska. He grew up on a dairy farm and graduated from Mason City High School in 1963. He joined the US Army in 1966 and served two years in Germany. While there, he bought a car and toured many countries.
On October 18, 1969, he married Marilyn Culpepper in Grand Island, Nebraska. Denise, Andrew, and Jason were born into this union. They ran a dairy farm in Mason City until they moved to Pleasanton in 1976, where they farmed. In 1983, he began working at Eaton Corporation and retired in 2004. In 1986, the family moved to Gibbon. In 1997, he began helping Don Keiper farm and continued to help until 2014. In 2007, they bought an acreage north of Shelton and were there until 2014, when they retired to the Rio Grand Valley in Texas full-time.
He enjoyed farming and traveling, especially on his motorcycle and spending winters in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Most of all, he enjoyed his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Kearney, Nebraska, the Cowboy Church of the Valley, the Patriot Guard Riders, American Legion Riders, and Bikers for Christ. He enjoyed the many rides he took to escort and honor all the Veterans who had gone before and the many friends he made along the way.
He is survived by his wife Marilyn, daughter Denise (Mike) Catlin of Shelton, and son Jason of Lincoln. Grandchildren McKenzie, Courtney (Robert), Nolan, Mikala (Collin), Tegun, Maddisen and Kate Lynn and great-grandchildren Skylar, Elizabeth, Emma and Michael.
He is preceded in death by his infant son, Andrew, his parents, Clare and Audrey and his in-laws, Ira and Elmira Culpepper
