Roger Atwater

BANGOR – J. Roger Atwater, 91, passed away January 6, 2023, at his home in Bangor. He was born on April 30, 1931, in Limestone Maine to Dora E. and Donald V. Atwater. He spent his youth in Limestone and Conway, New Hampshire before settling in Bangor with his wife Judy Leighton in 1957. Roger enjoyed his childhood growing up in The County with his uncles and cousins in the farming and business communities, and fondly reminisced about spending summers with his grandparents in Conway, playing outdoors with his young cousins at Pea Porridge Pond. As a high school student, he was the primary swimming instructor at the local swimming area in Limestone he described as “his kingdom.” He was an avid skier in his youth, winter hiking up Sugarloaf’s Winter’s Way and Tuckerman’s Ravine for the thrilling ride down and racing at the Mars Hill Winter Festival.
Roger attended Cornell University as a freshman and later transferred to the University of Maine where he graduated, Class of 1955. He was an ATO brother and social chair and used his extensive photography skills to document the many special events of Greek life. Roger enjoyed lifelong relationships with many of his ATO brothers.

Roger was proud to be a member of the small business community in Bangor. As the owner of Leighton Business Systems for over 50 years, he purchased the former Morse Mill Office Building on Harlow Street and was the steward of the historic building for several years. He and his team of valued employees, brought business automation and computing solutions to customers in every corner of eastern and northern Maine. His daughter Andrea and son John joined him in his later years.

He was a member of the Bangor Y Cardiac Rehab group, creating many wonderful and enduring friendships with fellow members and staff. He credited the program with allowing him to continue into his elder years with the best health and fitness possible.

Always curious about what was happening in Bangor, he was an avid reader of the Bangor Daily News, and especially enjoyed the changes on the Bangor waterfront. He was an enthusiastic fan of UMaine Hockey and was always excited when playoff season approached. He was also a music lover and a long-time patron of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.

Roger entered the Army in 1955 and was clerk to the Base Commander (SP3). Judy followed him to Landshut, Germany where they were married. They honeymooned in a pup tent throughout the Swiss Alps. They often told stories about the locals they met and the many bottles of homemade wine they enjoyed while socializing with other campers along the way! They lived with a German family for the duration of Roger’s military commitment and returned to Maine to begin their family in 1957. This experience foreshadowed their extensive travels in Europe and beyond.

Roger and Judy raised four children together on Essex Street where they built their house and made their home on a piece of undeveloped farmland. Through the years Roger steadily improved his landscape, his yard was his happy place. Chippers, tractors, snowblowers and chainsaws made his heart sing. He was a farmer at heart!

Judy and Roger also spent many years searching for the perfect spot for a camp for the family. They purchased an old fishing camp on Branch Lake which became a lifelong project and a treasured weekend escape. In later years, it was the scene of many joyful get-togethers with his grandchildren and relatives.

After Judy passed, Roger retired from his business and purchased a 25-foot sailboat from a family friend. He and his daughter Andrea learned to sail together and had many adventures on the water between Penobscot Bay and Southwest Harbor. He made many wonderful friends in the sailing community who helped him transition into retirement.

In his later years, Roger found great companionship with Jeanne Hannan. After graduating UMaine together, Jeanne and her husband Phil and Roger and Judy raised their young families, socialized together, and remained friends. Jeanne and Roger found each other’s companionship after their spouses passed. They shared a history and many of the same interests. Their relationship was life-sustaining and joyful.

Roger always made sure to present a positive and forward-looking perspective. He was a storyteller and his playful sensibility kept him young at heart. His grandchildren, Devin, Megan, and Chelsea nicknamed him Guppy. They loved and respected him and all the fun he brought to their lives.

He was intent to preserve the family history and became an expert at Google Photos. He scanned, annotated, and narrated his family history of many generations. This was his gift and legacy to the family.

He had tremendous gratitude for all those who helped him live a long, rich, and independent life to his very last day. Roger is survived by his son John Atwater and his partner Kris Engman of Liberty, Maine; daughter Laurie Atwater and her husband Jim Shaw of Lexington, MA, grandson Devin Shaw of Somerville MA; daughter Andrea Atwater of Bangor and her partner Jim Gallegos; daughter, Rebecca Pratt and her husband Joe of Bangor, Maine, grandchildren Megan and her husband Kenny Maguire of Lincolnville, Maine, Chelsea Pratt of Littleton, Colorado; nephew David Atwater of Bellevue, Washington and niece Jody Atwater Moseley of Shingle Springs, California.

Roger was predeceased by his father Donald V. Atwater, his mother Dora Noyes Atwater, his brother Peter Atwater, and his wife Judith Leighton Atwater.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday January 15, 2023 at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments at the Family Reception Center, 163 Center St., following the service.

Those wishing to remember Roger in a special way, may make a donation in his memory to the Bangor Y Cardiac Rehab program, attention Diane Dickerson, 17 Second St., Bangor, ME. 04401.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.