Obituary: Roscoe Kay Vassar

A service for Roscoe Kay Vassar, 70, a Genoa resident, will be at 12:10 p.m. Nov. 23 at St. Gall Catholic Church, Gardnerville.

Mr. Vassar died Nov. 15 at his residence. He was born July 1, 1929, in Los Angeles, to Roscoe Kelsey and Elisabeth Barndt Vassar and grew up in several central Nevada towns, including Tybo, Tonopah, Imlay and Mill City. The family moved to Genoa in 1944.

He graduated from Douglas High School in 1946 and received a bachelor of science degree in geological engineering in 1952 from the Mackay School of Mines at UNR. His great-grandmother, Sophie Williams, a prominent rancher in central Nevada, was the university's first female regent.

Mr. Vassar was a registered nuclear engineer and received a certificate in general management from the University of Santa Clara Graduate School of Business and Administration.

He married Marian Bujalski, in Kalispell, Mont., in 1954. His career took the family all over the globe from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Gaithersburg, Md. At the time of his retirement, he was vice president and power operations manager for Bechtel Canada, Inc.

He loved reading, was an avid gardener and enjoyed trying to outsmart Wall Street. He was famous for his honesty and sense of humor.

He was preceded in death by his father, Roscoe Kelsey Vassar; mother, Elisabeth Arndt Vassar Crouse; stepfather, Ralph Crouse, and sister, Hope Vassar Falcke.

Among his survivors are his wife of 45 years, Marian, and son, David Roscoe, both of Douglas County; daughter, Mary Gayle Vassar Melvin, of Pleasant Hill, Calif.; daughter and son-in-law Erin and Jim Gaston, of Richland, Wash; 10 grandchildren and three nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Gall Community Center Building Fund, 1232 Centerville Lane, Gardnerville 89410; St. Jude Children's Research Center, 1 St., Jude Place Building, P.O. Box 3704, Memphis, Tenn. 38173 or a charity of choice.

FitzHenry's Carson Valley Funeral Home, Gardnerville, is in charge of arrangements.