Obituary - Roger Levi Helphrey

  Roger Levi Helphrey, 68, lost his more than three year battle with lung cancer and dementia on January 6, 2013. He passed peacefully at his home in Adrian, Missouri, surrounded by his family. Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday, January 10, 2013 at the Atkinson Chapel in Adrian. The family also invites friends and family to a Celebration of Life from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Saturday, January 12 at the First Baptist Church in Adrian. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the VFW of Adrian, Autism Speaks or The Salvation Army.

  Roger was born April 16, 1944 to Rolla Helphrey and Erma (Rogers) Legall Helphrey near Urich, MO. Shortly after graduating from Clinton High School, he joined the United States Air Force. He spent his 21 year career with the Air Force as a radar technician on fighter jets. Overseas he was stationed in Okinawa (with missions to Vietnam), several tours to Thailand (with missions to Vietnam), and West Germany (with missions to Iran). While stationed in Las Vegas, Nevada, he met and married the love of his life, Elaine Eld. They had two sons.


  While stationed in West Germany, the four family members toured 22 countries on motorcycles. Roger’s life philosophy was to never look back on life and wish you had, so they had many adventures over the years! They tried different businesses. Roger did tax preperation for many years. They traveled whenever they could. Roger visited all 50 states that he so proudly served to protect and defend. Roger never wanted to hire someone else to do something that he could do or possibly learn to do himself.


  After retiring from the Air Force and selling a computer buisness, the family moved to Missouri where Roger again became an electronics technician with the National Weather Service. After 22 years, he retired from that career in 2006. Roger enjoyed his four grandkids, riding motorcycles, traveling, farming, hunting, leather tooling and wood working.
He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Elaine; son, Troy and his wife, Michelle and two grandchildren, Corbin and Kylie and son, Ty and his wife JJ and two grandchildren, Philip and Olivia; half-sister, Thelma Smith and her husband George; half-brother, Ted Legall and his wife, Pansy, and a large extended family. The world just got a little dimmer without his radiant smile.