Roger Elloise Travenia began his journey of life on June 2, 1935, in Rita, Texas, the second child of eight born to Mattie Lee Jones and Tola Travenia.
He passed quietly at his home in Rice, Texas, on January 25, 2023, at the age of 87.
Roger started working at an early age on his parent’s farm - milking cows, riding horses, raising chicken and 4-H pigs, tinkering on equipment and a variety of other things.
He had a playful nature and along with his siblings often they got into harmless mischief.
His parents, for example, would travel to town in their horse drawn wagon for supplies and the kids would have a ‘party’-- frying several of the yard chickens, making ice cream and burying chicken feathers so their parents wouldn’t know. On the farm he was always trying to fix things.
His parents moved to Littlefield, Texas, where Roger graduated from Littlefield High School, married Ruby Jewell Johnson, and they eventually moved to Lubbock, Texas.
As a young adult in Lubbock, his entrepreneurial ambition surfaced twofold with the Travenia Shell at Broadway and Avenue A and the Thunderbird Club.
His family with Ruby were blessed with five children -- Norma, Geral, Roger Jr., Loretha, and Melroy.
Roger was affiliated with the Greater St. Luke Baptist Church working as an usher and driving the church bus. He also did the maintenance on vehicles for the church.
A few years after his divorce, he relocated to Lansing, Michigan, where his younger brother, Tola, lived, and they both worked for General Motors, Oldsmobile Division.
On Juneteenth and his brother Ray’s birthday Roger remarried on June 19, 1976, to Paula Jean Mackey from Columbus, Ohio, making Lansing their home.
He adopted Rochelle Mackey, bringing his total children to six.
His entrepreneurial spirit took the form of real estate in Michigan, owning houses and a small apartment building. This kept him busy even after he retired in September 1990 from General Motors.
Not one to sit around, he was in the bowling leagues with his brother Tola and won several trophies – he and his friends would often unwind at the local Black ‘n’ Tan Bar.
Upon returning to Texas in 1998, Roger and Paula settled on a small ranch in Rice, Texas, raising cattle. Until health issue became a problem, the ranch held an annual barbecue for family and friends attracting folks near and far.
Roger and Paula are members of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Corsicana, Texas.
Knowing how things workedwashismainpassion and he was always repairing and fixing “things” -it didn’t matter if it had a motor or not.
He treasured his 1954 Chevrolet Belair two-door car that he nicknamed “Betty Sue” and showed it off whenever he could.
It wasn’t uncommon for someone to call from some other area in Texas or outof- state asking his opinion about some car problem they were having. He’d listen, give his diagnosis, and he was usually right – that’s how good he was mechanically.
Taking after his father and brother, Ray, Roger was quite good at gardening, his second passion.
He also enjoyed music, movies and telling jokes and giving people nicknames.
In his youthful days he was called “Thin Johnnie” for being tall and slim. In Michigan, he was known as “Cowboy” because he wore western boots, hats, buckles, and jeans, unusual customary attire for Lansing folks.
While it may have been unknown to some, Roger was always giving folks a nickname of some type.
Traveling and keeping in touch with friends and family was also important. Several trips each year were made from Michigan to Ohio and Texas.
Starting at 18-months of age, a frequent ‘tag-along’ passenger on these trips included their granddaughter, Alexandria.
Roger was preceded in death by his father, Tola Travenia; mother, Mattie Lee Travenia; sister, Margie White; brother, Ray Travenia; child, Melroy Travenia; aunts, Jewell Ferrell, Plattie Hayes, Willie Glass, Marzee Jones, Iona Benson, Bessie Henegan, and Mary Travenia; uncles, Elijah French, Elloise Travenia, Andrew Travenia, and Luther Travenia.
He leaves behind his wife, Paula Travenia; children, Norma (Herbert) Finnen of Corsicana, Texas, Geral (Charles) Randall, of Dallas, Texas, Roger (Rosie) Travenia Jr. of Corsicana, Texas, Loretha Travenia-Bowden of Dallas, Texas, Rochelle (Brian) Stevens of Lansing, Michigan; siblings, Hazel Ford of Houston, Texas, Velma Roberts of Houston, Texas, Tola (Betty) Travenia Jr. of Lansing, Michigan, Madlyn Mitchell of Abilene, Texas, and Julia (Chester) Williams of Dallas, Texas. He has 18 grandchildren; and about 38 great-grandchildren.
Funeral is Friday, Feb. 10, 2023, at 11 a.m. at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church; viewing is at M R Smith Funeral Home Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, from 4-7 p.m. both in Corsicana, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, kindly make donations to Parkinson’s Foundation or American Heart Association in his name.
Arrangements by M R Smith Funeral Home in Corsicana, Texas.