Roger James Waage, 72, of Litchfield, Minnesota, died Friday, March 20, 2020, at his home.
He was born November 26, 1947, in Roseau, Minnesota, the son of Enok and Agnes (Olson) Waage. He attended grade school in Greenbush, grades 6-8 in Winger, and graduated high school from Lake Park in 1965. Roger worked as an electrician for nearly 45 years. He began as an apprentice in Lake Park, worked in Fargo, North Dakota, and worked the remainder of his career in Grand Marais. On February 14, 1982, Roger married Debra Steffen in Hovland.
Roger spent three summers commercial fishing as a deck hand in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and was a bear-hunting guide in Cook County for 25 years. He retired in 2009 and enjoyed spending winters in Mexico. In 2015, Roger and Deb moved to Litchfield to be closer to his daughter, her husband and grandchildren, Elsa and Bodhe, whom were the joy of his life.
Roger enjoyed training and racing sled dogs with his wife, Deb and daughter, Desiree. Roger also trained yearling pups for Susan Butcher of Iditarod Fame. Along with his wife and neighbors, Roger held a kids’ sled dog race, the Flute Reed Challenge, which was a lot of fun. He also loved ice fishing and bow-hunting for bear and deer.
He is survived by his wife, Debra Waage of Litchfield; daughter, Desiree (and Kraig) Helstrom of Litchfield; grandchildren, Elsa and Bodhe; sisters, Linda Wollin of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Rita (and Gene) Michaelson of Owatonna and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial services will be on Saturday, July 25th at Michaelson Funeral Home at 2 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service and a time of fellowship to follow.
Leave a Reply