HOPKINTON, N.H. – Roger H. Beal, 83, of Hopkinton, N.H., passed away peacefully on Aug. 2, 2020 at Pleasant View Center. He was born in Biddeford, on Oct. 28, 1936, the son of Harold and Ruth (Lowell) Beal. Roger graduated from Windham High School and Maine Vocational Technical School. He also served in the National Guard.

While at MVTS, Roger was discovered by IBM representatives looking for talent. He spent his career as a systems engineer at the company and twice won their prestigious Golden Circle award. He and his wife moved between several states. They then settled in Concord, N.H. to raise their five children.

Roger was an animal and nature lover. He also enjoyed fishing, tennis, sailing, running and watching the Red Sox play. He spent leisure time with his family canoeing down the Blackwater River and vacationing at Lake Winnipesaukee and Little Sebago Lake.

After his children were grown, he and his wife spent two years in Hong Kong, where he taught IBM students. The couple then moved to Hopkinton, N.H. to enjoy his retirement. Roger cleared the field behind their home so he could watch the wildlife come and go and drive his old Ford tractor around. It was also a wide-open natural space for his grandchildren to explore.

Roger was known to be analytical and mechanical. He fixed many electrical, plumbing and car problems on his own. His most notable vehicle was his beloved blue Mustang. He later became devoted to Volvos.

Throughout his life, he loved listening to others tell stories, especially funny ones. He often added a quick humorous one-liner response at the end. By the time his great-grandchildren began to arrive, Roger’s health had begun to fail. But his face always lit up when he recognized a face, heard a good story or looked into the inquisitive eyes of a toddler on his lap.

Members of his surviving family include his wife of 63 years, Janice (Boucher) Beal; five children, Katherine and her husband, Byron Ruben of Merrimac, Mass., Ruth Sullivan of Concord, N.H., Lisa and her husband, Jeffrey Robitaille of Manchester, N.H., Elaine “Em” and her husband, Robert Howes of Strong; Kenneth Beal of Marietta, Ga.; eight grandchildren, Courtney, Rachel, Austin, Cailin, Liam, Adam, Sophia and Julietta; three great-grandchildren; a brother, Richard Beal of Gorham; and nieces and nephews.

Services will be private. To sign an online guestbook please visit http://www.chadwickfuneralservice.com.

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