Roger Allen Terrell, 83, of Lincoln, passed away on Monday, August 17, 2020, at HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

 

Private Services will be held at a later date.

 

Roger was born on March 6, 1937, in Bloomington, the son of Russell & Beulah Watts Terrell. He was preceded in death by his father and mother and his grandparents: Hudson & Myrtle Watts.

 

Roger is survived by his sister: Cathy (Bob) Welliver; and good friends Larry Collier, Steve Parrot, and Paul and Lori Bottrell.

 

Roger was raised by his grandparents Hudson and Myrtle Watts in the McLean County area. He then moved to New Orleans, and he always said, "The day I got there, I knew I was home and happy!"  

 

Roger loved to cook and worked for Universal Services, Inc. as their Chief Catering Cook on off-shore oil rigs. He was required to join the Coast Guard and received his Merchant Seamen's card as was requirement to work on the oil rig. He was responsible for feeding over 400 men on the oil rigs and he and his many staff would feed them 3 times a day! He became quite the culinary genius with food and variety. He said he always made a good living at it and would sometimes have to travel to other countries to train and teach other catering cooks on how to order what food and items were needed, how to cook for such large groups, show them how to handle time management, ordering and bookkeeping skills, as well. He would take 90 days on and then a few weeks off. He worked on several different rigs until he was sent to work on the aquatic boat named Ruth. He stayed on that rig for over 6 months before he came back to New Orleans.

 

After coming back to Illinois due to his mother's illness, where he cared for her until her death, he also discovered he had a sister, Cathy. Cathy contacted him in 1986, and they met and have been brother and sister since. She and her husband, Bob, moved to Lincoln to be closer to him.

 

Roger was quite the story teller about his days in New Orleans, along with all that happened while he lived there. His stories were entertaining, funny, and would always make you laugh.

 

Funeral arrangements are entrusted with Peasley Funeral Home.