Roy James Straight Jr.

It is with a heavy heart that we share that Roy James Straight Jr, our loving husband, dad, and “Baba” passed away peacefully at home Sunday morning, June 9th, 2024. He had not been well for a number of years and had entered hospice on May 28th. While we knew our time with him was short, we still anticipated a little more and are gutted at what feels like a sudden loss. He was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Beatrice Heather Geary as well as his parents, Roy Straight, Sr. and Alberta Straight. Roy is survived by his wife of 50 years, Claire Buente Straight, two loving daughters, Erin Straight Patterson (Chris) and Heather Colleen Lietz (Ben) as well as six grandchildren: Avery Claire Geary (17), Auden James Geary (15), Elliott Sinclaire Lietz (14), Grayson Davis Lietz (13), Adler Grace Geary (12), and Abbott Beattie Geary (10). Roy is also survived by one sister, Vicki Lee Cox of Rochester, Washington. It’s hard to describe 76 years in a few short sentences but we all agree that adjusting to a world without him is going to be painstakingly hard. Roy was born in Akron, Ohio and grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He was a graduate of Kent State University and a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He met his future wife, Claire, on a blind date, set up by his best friend and her best friend. It was a great match! They were married for 50 years. Ever the romantic, last year with his daughters’ help, Roy planned a surprise outdoor ceremony for his “bride” the day after their 50th wedding anniversary in which they renewed their vows. Roy worked most of his life for B.F. Goodrich in the chemical division, first in international marketing. He travelled all over the world to places such as Cypress, South Africa, Columbia, The Netherlands, and Belgium. He jumped at the opportunity to do U.S. sales in the Southeast and moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia where for several years he won the top salesman award and was eventually promoted to national sales manager. When his daughters began their studies at the University of Georgia he became an avid and lifelong bulldog fan. He loved all kinds of music and played the piano, guitar, and some dulcimer. He was an avid fly fisherman, first introduced to him at age 14, and he loved trying to tie his own flies. He loved to cook and was a natural at it. It gave him joy to just sit down and read a good cookbook, marking new recipes that he wanted to try. He loved nothing more than to have the whole family together and feed them! One of his favorite Christmas traditions was to sneak outside on Christmas Eve with sleigh bells to make everyone in the family think that Santa was close by. He did this well into his daughters’ adulthood and continued the tradition with his grandchildren. It gave him so much joy; he was the epitome of Christmas spirit. His upbringing and early life were sometimes rocky, but he found safety, love, and a home in his wife. He was devoted to her. The family they created, the love they shared, was without a doubt his greatest joy and the source of all his pride. He will be sorely missed, but we will carry his spirit with us forever. In lieu of flowers, go fishing. Sip a good bourbon. Listen to some music. Appreciate a flower, preferably his favorite, black-eyed Susans. Just take a moment, slow down, and appreciate life in remembrance of Roy.

Roy James Straight Jr.

June 9, 2024