Obituary of Roger Herman Thaiss

Roger Herman Thaiss, 79, of Dover, DE passed away on Monday, May 3, 2021 at BayHealth Hospital, Kent Campus, Dover, DE. He was born on June 9, 1941 in Rahway and raised in Colonia. He resided in Parlin, Manalapan and Cape May before settling in Delaware 18 years ago.  While attending Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School Perth Amboy where he studied carpentry, he was also part of the Navy Reserve. After graduating in 1959 he enlisted in the United States Navy where they assigned him to the USS Mattabesset, a Patapsco-class gasoline tanker as a Radar Technician. During his four years of service, he was also assigned to the USS Valley Forge, an Essex-class aircraft carrier. After being honorably discharged, Roger went on to be a delivery truck driver for Coca-Cola. A year later he married the love of his life MaryAnn on May 4, 1963. While continuing to make his daily truck routes, Roger and his brother Norman formally owned a luncheonette in Elizabeth called Sugar Bowl. Later in his life, he worked sales for Lowe’s Home Improvement for over twenty years until he retired. He was a true hard-working man, thoroughly enjoying landscaping and the outdoors. Above all, Roger was a devoted husband, father and grandpa and was passionate about spending quality time with his family. 

He was predeceased by his parents, Herman and Anna Thaiss; siblings Beverly Rogers, Kenneth Thaiss, and Sharon Thaiss. Roger is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, MaryAnn Thaiss of Dover, Delaware; three children, Cheryl Thaiss of Lakewood, Kevin Thaiss and his wife, Debbie of Jackson, and Michelle Zellers and her husband, Joseph of Jackson; six grandchildren, Billy and his wife Crystal, Ryan, Matthew, Justin, Brittany, and Kyle; three great grandchildren, Joseph, Juliet, and Luca; brother Norman Thaiss and his wife, Nancy of Chester; sister-in-law, Linda Thaiss of Monroe; brother-in-law Ed Rogers of Bloomsbury.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 4:00 to 7:30 PM with his memorial service to follow. Interment will be private. For the safety of the public and our staff, we are asking everyone to help us adhere to the CDC guidelines. Facemasks will be required. For those who desire, memorial contributions in Roger’s name may be made to Fisher House Foundation Inc., 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 410, Rockville, MD 20852 or Shriners Hospitals for Children, Processing Center, P.O. Box 863765, Orlando, FL 32886. For information, directions, or to leave condolence messages to the family, please visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com