Roger Rutledge's Obituary
On the evening of May 20, 2014, Roger passed away peacefully at home after a two and a half year battle with cancer, comforted by his wife. Roger was 67 years old. Roger Rutledge was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 27, 1946. He was the second child of Jean and Joseph P. (“J.P.”) Rutledge, Jr. Roger grew up in Johnson City, Tennessee and then moved with his family to Northern Virginia and New Jersey. He attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in History and graduated with honors. After college, Roger joined the Peace Corps as a Rural Agriculture Extension Officer, and was stationed in Nepal, where he met his wife, Lily. She was a nurse in the Peace Corps and they met while traveling in the Himalayas. Roger and Lily were married in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1970. After finishing his tour in the Peace Corps, Roger was appointed as an officer in the U.S. Foreign Service. He was stationed in Palermo, Italy as Vice Consul. Upon returning to the United States, Roger attended law school in Washington, D.C., and graduated from American University Washington College of Law in 1977 with the degree of Juris Doctor Cum Laude. Roger moved to Memphis, Tennessee and began practicing law with his father, J.P. Rutledge. They started the firm Rutledge and Rutledge Attorneys at Law, and over the years, practiced corporate law, litigation, international, family and estate law. Roger enjoyed the opportunity to help people through his law practice and became good friends with many of his clients and coworkers. Roger was an accomplished musician, songwriter, guitarist, and singer. He played at several venues around Memphis. In the past, he jammed with a variety of musicians, including James Taylor, and was a part of the music scene. His favorite music included bluegrass, gospel, and country. Accomplishing a lifetime dream, Roger received his private pilot’s license, and enjoyed flying his Sierra plane on many trips around the country. He was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Roger was president of R-Track Technologies, a company which manufactured and sold aircraft navigation equipment. In 2012, Roger wrote and published “A Revolution to Win: The Founder’s Solution to the Current Crisis”, a book about democracy in America. In past years, Roger served on the board of the United Methodist Neighborhood Centers as Chairman. He was a longtime member of Christ United Methodist Church and attended and taught lessons for the Seekers Sunday School class. Roger made it a priority to help others, was generous, and always took the time to listen. He was a wonderful father and enjoyed spending time with his family. He is survived by many friends who will miss his fun loving spirit. Roger was preceded in death by his father, Joseph P. Rutledge, Jr., and his mother, Jean M. Rutledge. Roger is survived by his wife, Lily Rutledge, his brother, Jay Rutledge, his sister, Julie Berg, and his daughters, Amelia Tapp and Sarah Rutledge. His family will receive friends on Friday, May 23 from 5 pm to 8pm and services will be on Saturday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m. all at Memorial Park Funeral Home.The family requests that memorials be sent to the Roger K. Rutledge Memorial scholarship fund, P.O. Box 38344, Germantown, TN 38183-0344, or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, 901-767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.
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