Roger had been totally blind since the age of four when his second eye had to be removed as it was cancerous. He attended Worcester College for the Blind and Partially Sighted where he played drums, guitar, and piano. He also had a fine singing voice. It was here that he met Iain Hopkin who was to remain his lifelong friend.

In the early sixties Roger joined the VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) and went to Aden for a year and assisted in the building of a school. There was an RAF base nearby and it is recorded that many an excellent evening was spent in the Sergeants Mess with Roger playing the piano and singing. On returning home, he enrolled at the RNIB School and trained as a Physiotherapist.

He moved to Bridgwater in 1975, taking a post at Bridgwater Hospital as a Physiotherapist. At that time, his passion for steam grew and with Iain Hopkin, who was also by then virtually blind, built a steam plant for a full sized boat. Quite a challenge for two blind men.

Eventually in 2004 they completed a 17 foot Plymouth Pilot Cutter hull with a Reeves Commander engine and a John Quick copper boiler. They encountered many problems along the way and it was only when his partner Tracy‘s father Norman, a tool maker by trade and an excellent engineer, but knowing nothing about steam engines joined in to help that they were resolved. With Roger’s enthusiasm the whole family became involved. In 2002 he joined Taunton Model Engineers and brought the boat to several of our Exhibitions.

They named the boat “Miracle” because they thought that it was a miracle that the project was ever completed.

Iain introduced Roger to sailing and in 1997 he was part of the crew representing Great Britain in the World Blind Sailing Championships at Weymouth where he won a Bronze Medal. It was typical of Roger to take on this sort of challenge with his determination to succeed after others would have given up.

Roger was Chaplain and a Past Master of his Masonic Lodge, was well known in North Petherton as a Physiotherapist and had a room named after him at the “Brainwave Centre”, for his dedicated work there.

His funeral at North Petherton Church was attended by around 400 people who came to celebrate his life and achievements. Roger was an inspiration to all who were privileged to have met him. He will be greatly missed.

Our sympathy goes to Tracy and to his son Jeremy.

Gerry Willis