He made it to 89. Yes, friends and neighbors the time has come: Roger Edward "The Colonel" Becker has completed his earthly mission and returned to central control for his next assignment.

Our Dad was the descendent of a tribe known as Volga Germans, a community of people scorned by Germans because they acted like Russians, despised by Russians because they spoke German, and disliked by Americans because they were immigrants. Like his father and grandfather, our dad reacted to this complex social dynamic by working harder than most people.

This deep predisposition to hard work meant Roger would spend his vacations painting or reroofing our house. Yes, there was never a dull moment with our father - especially if you liked hard physical labor.

He leveraged this work ethic in a new direction as a young man when he learned to play the trumpet. In the early 1950's he flourished under the leadership of director, Chuck Bradford, in the music program at Jefferson High School which led to a music scholarship to the University of Portland. He majored in business but was devastated when, as an Air Force ROTC cadet, he was not offered a slot in flight school. The Department of Defense had other plans and informed Roger they were confident he would make an outstanding meteorologist. A what? He believed it was an equal mix of divine intervention and a highly skilled tutor that got him through calculus and the completion of Air Weather School at Oklahoma A & M, where he was elected class president. Later in his career, as a lt. colonel in the Oregon Air National Guard and Commander of the 123rd Weather Flight, his unit was selected as the outstanding reserve weather flight in the United States for the year 1978. He said it was all because of those same jokers back in weather school who made him class president. He also received an Air Force Commendation Medal in 1980 and the weather school guys had nothing to do with it.

One of our dad's proudest work-related accomplishments happened at the ALCOA Aluminum Mill in Vancouver. In the late 1960's, management was struggling with multiple, daily union grievances. When Roger became mill superintendent, grievances dropped to zero. We think it was because he treated trainee floor sweepers and CEOs and everyone in between with the same respect and courtesy.

Our father's work ethic did not prepare him for the loss of our sister, Karen, in a 1977 traffic accident and many bartenders and brewery workers came to depend on dad for a livelihood. These were some dark years, and we did not see a lot of him. We are grateful he made the decision to step up into the world of sobriety nearly two decades ago.

Above all, he loved his wife, Kathleen Welborn Becker, to whom he was married for 39 years. He was also devoted to the children from his first marriage to Rujean Pittard, Terri, Steve, David and Karen. It didn't matter how insignificant the school activity was, he would always be there. He also insisted if we were to breathe the air in his house, we would use a substantial portion of that breath to sing in the church choir and sing in a way that he could hear us from the back of the sanctuary.

Roger was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Marie; parents, Edward and Edris; wife, Kathleen; and son-in-law, Jack Hurley. He is survived by his brother, Craig Becker (Gloria); daughter, Terri Becker Hurley; son, Steve Becker (Kris); and son, David (Yanira). He is also survived by stepdaughters, Leslie Stahl (Mike) and Kelly Paulson, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

We are especially grateful for the loving care our father received at the Glenwood Assisted Living and Memory Care Units in Vancouver.

Thanks for everything Dad, now it's your turn: ceiling and visibility are unlimited, the runway is open, and you are cleared for takeoff. We know your next assignment is going to be another great one.