Roger was born in Jacksonville and attended school in Swansboro. He spent many years working in Jacksonville in the retail industry and worked for Kmart for 10 years. In 1989 he began working in office supply for Grier Garrick in his Morehead City store, and in 1995 went to work for Staples as an Operations Manager until he retired in 2013. He and his wife Jane live in the Bogue community and attend Bethlehem United Methodist Church where they are very involved.