Roger Alan Suro

Who in the world knew Roger Suro? His family has a theory that he might have talked to more people in a lifetime than your average professional reporter or late-night talk show host. They say there are 6 degrees of separation to anyone on the planet, but with Roger it must be less than 3. If you knew him, you know you would find him talking to anyone and everyone, no matter what the circumstances; on a ski lift, in a waiting room, at the gym, or anywhere he had the chance to talk to a stranger. He had a story for everyone and about everything, no matter how random it might be. The man lived to spread knowledge and make friends. It’s why his ski buddies appropriately nicknamed him “Cliff” from the television show Cheers. Although we joked with him about this, it truly is what made him a special individual and that person that you felt like you knew your whole life, even if you only had met him once. As a family we were lucky enough to share large chunks of his life with him and be a part of those stories he told to so many other people. 

On Tuesday, May 24th, 2022 Roger A. Suro, a.k.a. "Pops", passed away suddenly from an aortic dissection while with his wife. He was 77 years old. Roger was born on January 20th, 1945 in Newport, DE to George Suro and Eleanor Camm Suro. 

As a lifelong Delaware resident, he graduated from Conrad High School and the University of Delaware with a mathematics degree, later finishing with an MBA. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the swim team, and the track team. If you met him, you probably know he set a pool record in the breaststroke, as well as had an epic battle on the track against Vince Papale. I believe the story ends with Roger winning that hurdles race, but now that it’s in writing and there are no google search results for 1967 track events, Roger takes the win!   

After college, Roger served two years in the Army, and then went on to work for DuPont for 30 years. He finished his career at Accenture after a total of 40 years as a systems analyst or what we only knew as “dad worked on computers”. Beyond work, Roger was a volunteer throughout his adult life in a multitude of activities; soccer coach for his kids, swim official, and Tri-state Bird Sanctuary to only name a fraction. Since retirement you would find him traveling with his wife and friends, skiing with “the dogs”, hiking throughout White Clay Creek State Park, spending time with grandkids, and of course swimming and taking classes at Hockessin Athletic Club.

He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Donna Suro; children: Megan Proffitt (Larry), Craig Suro, Kim Burke (Honey), Eric Suro; grandkids: Chase, Maggie, Bowen, Camden, Anna, and Molly; brother Art Suro (Patricia), his best friend Jim Sanderson (Colleen), and so many other close friends and acquaintances.  

A celebration of his life with family and friends will be held at a later date, most likely in August. We will do our best to notify you of the location, date, and time.  In lieu of flowers or gifts, feel free to make a donation in Roger’s name to Tri-State Bird Sanctuary.   

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Roger Alan Suro, please visit our floral store.