Roger Wilson Cole's Obituary
Roger Wilson Cole, 86, of Columbus Grove, passed away on Monday, March 16, 2026, at Birchhaven, Findlay, Ohio.
This is the story of my rock, my hero and most importantly, my Dad. Roger Wilson Cole was born on January 30, 1940, in Lima, OH to Oscar and Anna (Miller) Cole. He joined his big sister, Lois Jean, at home. Dad had a fun childhood. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lois and Dad used to set up tents and fish at Fort Brown, near Charloe, OH. They eventually bought a place which was affectionately named, "The Old Cottage," because there was ultimately, a new cottage. Weekends were the most amazing things in life when we were kids. Oh yeah... I jumped ahead quite a bit, let's go back awhile. Grandpa passed away Dad's senior year of high school. Dad promised him that he would always take care of his mom, a promise he kept till the day she passed. Dad graduated from Lima Senior in 1958. A year later, he started his career at Ford Motor Company, where he retired from in 1999. One weekend, he made plans with his buddy, Jerry Barber, and his girl, Jan. They were going to bring a friend of Jan's from work to meet Dad. That night turned into a lifetime of love when he was introduced to his future wife, Theresa. Just 4 short months later, they were engaged. Mom and Dad got married on May 4, 1963. That November, Dad enlisted in the Army National Guards and was a service member until 1968. Their son, Tim, was born in November of 1967. Their daughter, Tina (me), was born in November of 1970. Dad loved the role of being a dad. He would get down onto the ground and play with us, he taught us how to shoot hoops, and he never grew tired of me crawling under the cars with him. If there was a light that came on the dash, his fix was to cover it with duct tape. Hear a strange sound coming from your car? Dad's fix was to turn the radio up! During Tim's younger years, Dad became a Scout leader and led the boys on great adventures. After scouting, he joined Music and Band Boosters. On Friday nights, Dad could be found under the stadium bleachers, popping popcorn. Dad never missed a concert for either of us, a dance recital, or an awards ceremony. Mom and Dad always made it to an Ohio State Buckeyes football game each year to watch Tim in the marching band. In addition to supporting Tim, Dad also encouraged me to follow my dreams, even the crazy ones. On the day of my college graduation, Dad brought flowers over to my house and celebrated with me. When I finally moved back home, he helped me without question and simply said, "it's about time you came home". Life carried on, families were made, families broke apart, but Dad was always the quiet strength in your corner. Mom got sick in 2019 and went from the hospital to the nursing home. She came home, but only for a short time. Dad lost the love of his life on May 30, 2020. In all the years they had together, they took trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Tennessee, and they became "Snowbirds". They also traveled to Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Rome, and the cottage.... Dad always had the cottage. That was the gathering place for family. There were hog roasts and euchre tournaments with Aunt Lois and her husband (Uncle Bob), and their kids, our cousins, the friends from Ford, and aunts and uncles from MA. Everyone gathered at The Cottage. That's what Dad was about: Family. In his life, he married Mom (Theresa), had Tim (Brian), was blessed with grandkids, Logan (Amanda), Heidee, and Ben (Fiancée Dana) Miller. He was also great-grandfather to Atticus, Isaiah, and Baby Miller. He had me, Tina, his grandkids, Ava Anna-Rose Pingle and Aidan Robert Cole Pingle, and he had his grand-dog Sadiee Quinn-Cakes Pingle. Being a Papaw to Ava and Aidan was his greatest and final blessing in his life. He was their Papaw, and they were his "sack of flour" and "sack of taters". The love he showed Ava and Aidan is something they will forever take with them, as will all of us. Mom and Dad's winter trips to FL stopped when Ava was born, and they never revisited once Aidan came. Dad played so many roles in his life. He was a son, brother, cousin, uncle, employee, Dad, and Papaw. He was a family man, and that's what his legacy should be. Dad put his family first and loved hard. Once you had his love, it was forever. Rest peacefully in Heaven with Mom, I know you've missed her. Thank you for being my rock, my hero, my best friend, and most importantly, my Dad.
Thank you to Dr's Neidhart, Kahn, Alele, CNP's Alexandria Klofta, Miranda Rosebrook, Dr. Arabpour, CNP Jamie Verhoff, CA-P Mary Anderson. A special thank you to Dad's favorite people that cared for him, Talisha "T", La Shaunda, Cindy, Amy, Cody and Traci. You all made a huge difference in Dad's life. Special thanks also to Ivy Hall at Birchaven for giving Dad amazing care the last 2 weeks of his life. Thank you to Dad's neighbor, Elaine Niese, for always watching out for Dad and Mom. We can never thank you enough for the friendship you gave them over the last 20+ years.
Visitation is from 11:30am-3:00pm on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, with a prayer service with Father David Ritchie at 1:30pm, at Hartman-Rousculp Community Funeral Home, 10879 State Route 12, Columbus Grove. Preferred memorials can be made to the American Heart Association https://www.heart.org and/or American Diabetes Association https://diabetes.org. To share online condolences please visit www.hartmanfunerals.com.
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