Obituary of Roger Dee Halstead

The family of Roger Halstead is saddened to announce his passing on July 3, 2024 at the age of 84. He was preceded in death by his parents, Myrle and Beulah Halstead of Breckenridge Michigan. He was the husband of Joyce Halstead, the father of Deb and Brian Halstead, grandfather to Michael Halstead and Briana Halstead Harris, and great grandfather to Rozalyn Martin. He is also survived by Joyce´s children Amy Reinhardt and John Cotton, and her granddaughter Amber Daniel.

Roger was interested in many things and wore many ¨hats¨ over the course of his long life. He began his career with Hemlock Semi-Conductor as an operator, later advancing to an Instrument Man position. His passions in those years were trap and skeet shooting and ham radio. His trophies still decorate the shelves, and one of his proudest accomplishments was a cover photo on the ham radio publication QST. He was a gifted photographer and at different times developed his own photos and participated in amateur exhibits. His beloved cat, Streak, was a frequent subject. Later, he took up the guitar, started training in ice skating, and around this time met Joyce, to whom he was married for 40 years. In his mid-40s his passions moved to computers, and with Joyce´s support, he left his job to obtain a degree in computer science. Upon completion of his degree he joined Dow Corning as a Project Manager, and remained there until his early retirement. At this point Roger further immersed himself in another passion: flying. He was a pilot and owned a Debonair. He was active in supporting the Young Eagles and was a regular participant at the big fly-in at Oshkosh, WI. He was in the (long) process of building his own acrobatics plane (a GlassAire 3) when he had his first heart attack in 2007. Although he was no longer able to do many things his diverse pursuits continued; his interest shifted to Animé and he began teaching himself Japanese. We will most remember Roger for the way he embraced such a variety of experiences throughout his life.

The family would like to thank Great Lakes Home Care, Residential Hospice, Midland County Senior Services, and the nurses at My Michigan Medical Center for their kind and caring attention. In addition, we appreciate the support and assistance provided by Roger and Joyce´s amazing neighbors:

Sharon Kilgore, Dennis and Diane Foster, and Ray and Susan Drumright. At Roger´s request there will be no funeral service. If desired, a tribute/donation may be made in his name to: EAA Chapter 1093, Residential Hospice, or the Humane Society.  To sign online guestbook, visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com  Arrangements made with the Cremation Society of Mid Michigan.

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