Obituaries

Roger L. Groenewold, age 81, Eau Claire, WI died on November 4, 2024. He was born May 19, 1943. to Herman and Mildred (Klein) Groenewold in Nobles County, Minnesota.

He attended a one room country school, Kunkle, for elementary school, then graduated with honors from Worthington High School in 1960. While in high school, Roger was chosen to be a United Nations Scholar and spent a summer studying in New York City. This event changed his life, beginning a lifelong love of travel, theatre, and New York City.

He then attended Winona State University, again graduating with honors, with a Baccalaureate in English Education. At WSU, he was active in the Sigma Thu Gamma Fraternity and served in Student Senate as vice president and president. He taught at Wausau High School and as a counselor at Colfax High School before earning his Masters from Stout State University, in Counseling Psychology.

He worked at the University-Eau Claire in Admissions for three decades, retiring as Director of Admissions Associate Professor, in 2000. He was active in local, state, and national organizations involving Admissions. He was proud to be part of the state committee that developed the first on-line Application for Admissions.

Upon retirement, he took a position as Tour Manager for Holiday Vacations, in which he managed tours throughout the world for the next 17 years. His specialty tours were to London & New York at Christmas, Paris, and Railroading the Rockies. His personalized tours and love of travel added much to the experience of the hundreds of guests touring with him. He also organized personal theatre tours to New York and London.

He met his lifelong partner, Robert Carr, while they were undergraduates at WSU. They spent the next 57 years together ("Together is the Best Place to Be") and married in 2022. As partners, they were very involved in the Eau Claire Arts Community. They co-founded the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild, the organization credited with establishing the foundation of numerous arts ventures in Eau Claire and culminating with the opening of the Pablo Arts Center. Roger loved "live theatre" and saw dozens of productions each year which started with his witnessing "West Side Story" in 1959.

He is survived by his son extraordinaire, Lee Hericks, Tokyo, Japan and one sister, Marilyn Henderson, Rock Valley, Iowa, several nieces, nephews, and their extended families. He is predeceased by his husband Bob, by his parents, a sister, Beverly Anderson, and two brothers-in-law, James Anderson and Ronald Henderson.

He requests that memorials be designated to the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, December 27, 2024, at 6:30 pm at The Grand Theatre in Eau Claire. He will be interred at Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire at a later date.