Archived Services

Roger Joseph Rath
03-13-2021

Roger J. Rath, formerly of Madison, SD passed away peacefully on March 13, 2021 in the North Carolina State Veterans Home in Kinston, NC. Roger was born on August 17, 1947 to Ernest “Snooks” and Lorraine Rath of rural Madison.

Roger graduated from Franklin High School and then attended SDSU.  After graduating from SDSU Roger accepted his commission in the US Air Force in 1969, eventually being promoted to the rank of Captain and commanding the launch crew of a Titan missile site near Little Rock, AK.

After discharging from the Air Force Roger returned to South Dakota, graduating soon after with a Master’s degree in Audiology and Speech Pathology. This set the stage for nearly 30 more years of service as a civilian audiologist in military hospitals in Florida, Sicily and finally in North Carolina where he eventually retired and lived the last years of his life.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents; and one sister: Ruth Ann Stanford. He is survived by his brother: Randy (Dee Ann) Rath of Dallas, TX; their children: Nicholas and Anna of Dallas, TX; and nieces: Kari Graf of Toronto, SD, Karen Meinke of Sioux Falls, SD, Pamela Busser of Colton and Patricia Stanford of Madison, SD.

A committal service is scheduled for noon on Friday, July 9^th at the South Dakota State Veterans Cemetery near Sioux Falls.