Roger Dale Eakes
Beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Roger Dale Eakes passed away early Thursday morning, June 15, 2023, at age 58, after a nearly five-year long battle against cancer.
Roger was born May 7, 1965, in Beaumont, Texas, at St Elizabeth hospital to Thomas and Mattie Alice Eakes. He has lived in the Golden triangle area his entire life, and the past twenty-two years in Port Neches, Texas.
Roger was a graduate of Monsignor Kelly High School in 1983. He graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont with a degree in sociology. Roger worked for nearly a decade for the State of Texas administering the food stamp program. He then moved on to work for the Jefferson County Juvenile Probation Department. He then moved on to work in his final and most fulfilling job as a claims representative for the Social Security Administration for almost twenty-three years. He recently had to stop working and took disability just eight weeks ago. He battled cancer and worked to support his family up until the very end of his life.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Laura Ballard Eakes; his adored son, Colin Eakes and his partner, Emily Lewis; and his one beloved grandson, Oliver Thomas Eakes.
He is also survived by his sister, Drusilla Springer and her husband, Aaron Springer; his mother-in-law, Lily Ballard; his sisters-in-law, Cathy Ballard, Debra Teague, Bonnie Gillard and her husband, James Gillard, Allison Hearne and her husband, Jeffrey Hearne. He is also survived by numerous loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Thomas Gaylord Eakes and Mattie Alice Eakes, and his father-in-law, Kenneth Howard Ballard.
Roger was a consummate bibliophile with a lifelong love of reading. He had worked through high school and college in several different local bookstores, and even met his future wife at a comic book shop.
Roger and Laura loved to read, to follow Star Trek, to collect comics but mostly books. Roger had amassed a personal library of over 3,000 books. Beginning at 14 years of age Roger kept a log of every book he would complete. At the time of his death, he had read and reviewed over 4,600 books. Roger was delighted when he found several online Star Trek, reading, and vintage pulp fiction groups online. He even made his own group online on Goodreads through which he developed strong friendships. These friendships meant everything to Roger, especially in the last five years through cancer treatment, the isolation during COVID, and multiple hospitalizations.
Roger and Laura are avid animal lovers and throughout their nearly thirty-four-year marriage had many beloved pets. He was surrounded at death by his two dogs, Luna and Neville, and cats, Loki, Opal, Rocket, and Camino.
A memorial gathering of Mr. Eakes’ family and friends will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 22, 2023, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12th Street, Nederland. His cremation arrangements will be handled through Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.
The Eakes family want to send out sincere thanks to Dr. Srinvas Kodali, his oncologist, and all the staff at Texas Oncology Beaumont. Thank you to the staff at St. Elizabeth hospital who cared for him through multiple hospitalizations, and to Harbor Hospice for bringing peace and dignity to his final days.
Roger’s last message to you would be to go out, live your life and enjoy life. He would raise his hand and give you the Vulcan salute and tell you to “live long and prosper.”
Video
Gathering of Family and Friends
Broussard’s Mortuary Nederland
- 505, North 12th Street, Nederland, Texas, 77627,
- June 22, 2023
- 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Committal
Broussard’s Crematorium
- 5150, Stivers Dr, Beaumont, TX, 77705,
I never met Roger in person, but knew him through Shelfari and then GoodReads. I joined the group he founded “Paging All BookWorms” and when he decided to step down as moderator, it took TWO people to fill his shoes. Leah and I have continued this labor of love. He will be remembered for his generosity of spirit, his enthusiasm for the written word, and the way he welcomed total strangers who shared his passion for reading.
Please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of your husband, father, grandfather, friend.
Tessa “Book Concierge”
Roger was my best friend, and we met on Facebook. We both loved books and loved chatting about them; Roger was a man of intelligence, integrity, and love – a love of books, pets, friends, and family. I loved the pics of him and his pets and his grandson on Facebook. Sorry for your loss, Laura and Colin.
Laura, I am very sorry for your loss. You know now that he will not suffer anymore. Take care and be strong.
Laura and Colin,
my parents and I send the deepest condolences. He was my wonderful friend who always kept asking about the well-being of my family. We originally connected through Star Trek, but our friendship went far beyond, and I was very happy to see your family twice in person. May he rest in peace after this exhausting long fight. And may you find some peace and rest during these hard times.
Laura and family, I am very sorry for your loss. As you know Roger and I met on Shelfari through our love of books and became instant friends. I regret never getting a chance to meet in person but even over the Internet I know what a caring and loving man Roger was. He spoke so lovingly of his family and fur babies. I miss our regular chats already.
Such a beautiful tribute, I feel grateful to have met and known Roger these recent years, a fellow enthusiast for books and star trek. Will be greatly missed but not forgotten.
Laura and family, We are so sorry for your loss. I want to say such a beautiful obituary. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I will always remember Roger’s thoughtfulness and generosity. He loved sharing books, and he sent me severaI over the years. I will miss exchanging thoughts and jokes with him. He had a wonderful be sense of humor and a keen intellect. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. He was a lovely soul.
So very sorry for your loss. Laura you have always been so sweet and kind I know that you will miss your Husband but take comfort in knowing that he’s no longer in pain. I didn’t personally know Roger just through following him on facebook seems like I knew him, real genuine and kind man. You and your family have my deepest condolences.
Roger, to me, was the purest form of good. For context, I work at a comic shop that Roger and Colin regularly come into and that’s how our friendship came to be. When the pandemic happened, comic book production completely stopped and I was out of a job for some months due to my asthma. Roger was the only person to check in on me to make sure I was okay and that I would have a job after all of it was over. I never got to tell him how much that meant to me. I loved him so much and he made sure to make it known that it was mutual. His love for literature, his family, and friends is something that will always be an inspiration to me. I’d do just about anything to get one of those big hugs again. Laura & Colin, my heart is with you and I’ve had you guys in my thoughts every day for the last couple of weeks and even more-so now. All my love to you guys.
Roger you lived life well, loved all and shared your joy with us all. You will live on in all our hearts and in our smiles. Your memory and the lives you touched will live on and prosper. Laura you are in our prayers and our thoughts.
When I got my first teaching job, at Kelly HS, in 1979, Roger was one of my students. We immediately recognized that we were kindred spirits, and we became lifelong friends. You will never find truer, more loyal, or more loving friends than Roger and Laura Eakes. I will sorely miss his conversation, his wonderful sense of humor, and his deep and discerning intellect. The world is diminished in losing Roger–but it is so much the richer for having had him here for 58 years. Love to Laura, Colin, Emily, and Oliver.
Laura, so sorry for your loss. He fought the good fight. I know he adored you, Colin and Oliver. He also loved his pet family. I remember he always gave really good hugs. Day or night.. if you need a voice, I am here, just call.
Roger was a great coworker. I loved his book reviews and his love for his family. He will be greatly missed. ????
Dru, I’m so sorry to hear of Roger’s passing. May the Lord give you comfort and peace during this time.
Our very deepest condolences in your loss of Roger. What a wonderful man and friend he was! What a devoted husband, father and grandfather he was! Peace be with you all in this sorrowful time.