Roger Hutchison

Roger James Hutchison (Hutch) was reunited with the love of his life he called “MyJerre” and his Redeemer God on September 19, 2021, exactly two months shy of his 92nd birthday. He was born November 19, 1929, in Miami, OK, to Harold Burton Hutchison and Nora Belle (Billingsley) Hutchison.

He graduated from Miami High School in 1947; Northeast Oklahoma Junior College in Miami in 1949; and Miami Business College in 1950. He entered the U.S. Air Force on May 28, 1951, and on September 8, 1951, armed with a last-minute weekend pass, made a whirlwind trip back to Miami to marry his high school sweetheart, Jeralyn (Jerre) June Lewis.

His four years of military service took them to Laredo AFB, TX; Chateauroux AFB, France; and Lowry AFB, Denver, CO, where he and Jerre made their home. He was very proud to have served in the Air Force and had very fond and vivid memories of his time stationed in Chateauroux and would tell anyone who would listen of his and Jerre’s adventures there. He went to night school at the University of Denver, earning a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting in 1962. He worked at Western Electric for seven years, then began his career with the federal government and went full circle, eventually ending up back at Lowry AFB as a civilian employee, where he was a Computer Systems Analyst for the Department of Defense, retiring in 1994.

Roger and Jerre became charter members of Harvey Park Christian Church when they joined in June 1957, and he was a faithful member until he moved to Montana in 2016. He was awarded the title of Deacon Emeritus for his many years of service as deacon, and he and Jerre enjoyed many years of singing together in the HPCC choir.

Roger enjoyed camping,especially in the nearby Rocky Mountains, houseboating at Lake Powell, several cruises, and attending activities of his grandchildren. He and Jerre enjoyed traveling extensively in their retirement. His one true love (other than “MyJerre”) was tennis, and if he wasn’t on the court playing (outside during the summer and “in the bubble” during the winter), he was watching as much of it as he could on TV. He would rarely travel during the two-week periods surrounding the end of January, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day so he could immerse himself in the Grand Slam tennis tournaments (the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens, and Wimbledon).

In 2012 he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and with a few rounds of chemo kicked cancer. He lived in the same house in Denver, CO, for 51 years but after being diagnosed with dementia, started a new adventure in Billings, MT, where he lived with and was lovingly cared for by his daughter, Karen. There, he joined the First Presbyterian Church and bowled during the winter months, joining a league in 2018 when he could no longer play tennis. He even bowled with his grandsons just a few weeks before his death.

Roger was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Jerre; his sister and brother-in-law, Barbara and Eugene Deems; and brother-in-law, Clarence "Sandy" Sandstedt.

Left to cherish Roger’s memory are: son Roger G. Hutchison (Carol), Galena, OH; daughter Karen Finstad, Billings, MT; daughter Sheri Manweiler, Kersey, CO; Granddaughters Kelli and Michelle Finstad (MT), and Lani Hutchison (Chris Forehand) (FL); Grandsons Colton (Savanna Werner) (AZ) and Chase Manweiler (CO); and Great-Granddaughter Finli Ann Finstad (MT); sister-in-law, Janell Sandstedt-Peterson  (date of death October 24, 2021); five nephews and nieces, Steve (Connie) Deems, Chris (Jeff) Rogers, Lyn (Gary) Sievert, Steve (Nancy) Sandstedt and Mark (Karen) Sandstedt.

Celebration of his life will be held Friday, June 17, 2022 at 11:30am, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO. He will be laid to rest at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, CO.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dogtag Buddies (service dogs for veterans, https://dogtagbuddies.org/), or Tunnels to Towers (https://t2t.org/), or to the charity of your choice in his name.

In Roger’s own words regarding his end of life on earth, “Thank you GOD for my lifetime of Christian fellowship followed by ETERNITY in HEAVEN!!!”