Randy Roach

Terry Randall “Randy” Roach passed away on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at Groesbeck LTC, free at last from the difficulties of the past twelve years from multiple sclerosis. He had just celebrated his 53rd. birthday on Saturday. Visitation will be Thursday, October 16, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. at Groesbeck Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, October 17, 2014 in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Brother Richard Williams of the Church of Christ in Groesbeck and Reverend Tracy Sims of the Central Baptist Church in Thornton officiating. Burial will follow in Cobb Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Mark Tietjen, Joe McNutt, James “Tooter” Eakins, Mike Gonzales, Brian Swick, and Brett Fewell. All of his nephews and great-nephews will be honorary pallbearers, as well as long-time friends, Rocky Foley, Michael McGilvray, Jimmy Fewell, Trendle Walker, Flint McLean, Mike Capps, and Darrell McLean. Randy was born October 11, 1961 to Terry Don and Angela (McCoslin) Roach at Dr. Cox’s hospital in Groesbeck. Randy was little brother to his sister, Robin, who called him “Randy-Pandy.” Randy’s first driving experience was at age 3, with Robin in the back seat, when he drove up into Troy Rice’s Paint and Body Shop. They spent happy days with their parents and friends playing, trips to the beach, and sports, sports, sports. Randy would be seen each summer on the baseball field, and at a real young age, his “Shelton-Bond Funeral Home” team, coached by his dad and Dennis Walker, won the State Midget League playoff, beating Benbrook at their home field. Randy played football for the Groesbeck Goats, and graduated from Groesbeck High School in the Class of 1980. Randy’s mom and dad called him “Big-un” when he was a kid playing ball – he may have been small in size but played with a heart and determination as big or bigger than anyone else. He was mowing lawns when he was small enough to have to push holding the middle handle of the mower, and as Mrs. Euleta Hawkins told his mom, he wouldn’t even stop to drink water. He continued all his life in giving his every strength to his work. And work he did. He worked hard and drove fast and expected everyone else to keep up. His first truck was a worn-out left-over from Jeff Blair. He knew “no fear.” Randy started dating Jo Sullivan when he was a freshman. They were married two weeks after they graduated high school, on June 7, 1980, at the Church of Christ in Groesbeck. As a married man, he started work at Latco, and worked through the years for Joe Neason and Downing Brothers, and had worked for U.S. Silica until retiring in 2007 due to his health. During his rock hauling days, he was given the "CB-Handle" of "Killer" from the other truckers, due to his wiping out a whole flock of ducks in his 18-wheeler. While working for U.S. Silica, Randy won an award for a cost-saving suggestion, and was presented the award at the home office in West Virginia. Randy also worked every spare minute for himself and family, with cattle and hay baling. No job was too big for him to handle, from the big John Deere tractors to the 32’ trailers loaded with hay bales. His "fuel" for the day consisted of a Dr. Pepper and Grandma's Chocolate Chip cookie for breakfast EVERY DAY, and his lunch of choice was a sausage wrap-around from Swick's BBQ, where he also loved to visit with Bradley and Brian Swick. Randy was man-enough to handle the work and never quit trying until MS attacked his body. He was first diagnosed in 2002, but fought on quite a long time, climbing up in the tractor and baling hay all day in spite of having to walk with a walker after 2008. When he became unable to do that, he still “worked” to overcome and bear each new difficulty in the progression of the disease, and he was working hard to breath and live until the last day. Randy instilled his strong work ethic in his children and was proud of his sons carrying on the cattle and hay baling, helping Gran and Gramps though he would have loved to still be out there working with them. He enjoyed his daughter, Kaitlin (“Boog”) playing softball and baseball; she played on the boy’s all-star baseball team, and watching her was a highlight of Randy’s life. Randy loved all sports, but was especially a fan of the University of Texas Longhorns and the Dallas Cowboys. Randy had many friends. He was a giving person, and always happy to give anything to anyone else. Randy was never one to sit still, and therefore being confined to a wheelchair in the Groesbeck LTC for the past three years was the hardest thing for him. However, daily visits from his Dad and the family were an encouragement, and he patrolled the halls. He enjoyed watching TV even though he remembered what was to happen next (Western reruns, wrestling, Andy Griffith, and game shows, especially Steve Harvey). He always wanted to know everything that everyone in the family was doing at all times, including the grandchildren. All visits by the family to his room always ended with Randy saying, “Cut that fan back on,” since he liked his room to be real cool. Randy was preceded in death by his sister, Robin (Roach) McMinn in 1998, and many aunts and uncles on all sides of the family. He is survived by his wife, Jo Roach of Groesbeck; son and daughter-in-law, Dustin and Erica Roach of Groesbeck; son, Jerod Roach of Groesbeck; daughter and son-in-law, Kaitlin and Steven Hurt of Groesbeck; three grandchildren, Reicher Roach, Ruston Roach, and Reeci Roach; parents, Terry Don and Angela Roach of Groesbeck; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law; numerous nieces and nephews; and his uncle and aunt, David and Janie Roach of Groesbeck.