Herbert William Roya

Herbert William Roya Jr. December 26, 1931-October 16, 2015. Herb Roya, 83, fell asleep suddenly in death early morning of October 16, 2015. He will be lovingly remembered and missed by his wife, family and many friends and neighbors. Herbert William Roya Jr. came into the world on December 26, 1931. Son of Herbert and Gladys Roya, Herb grew up in Montpelier, Vermont with his three brothers, Bernard, Clarence and Leonard. After he graduated from Montpelier High School in 1949, he enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict where he was a radar technician. Herb met the love of his life, Sherlie Ann Dwinell in 1954, when he could not resist offering her a gentlemanly ride home after noticing her at a restaurant in Montpelier. Although she politely declined the first time, his charm worked when he met her for the second time and they were married soon after in 1955. He worked at the local telephone company for 36 years, started as a lineman, and continued his training until he became one of the top PBX installer repairman in all of New England. Herb suffered with back pain his entire adult life, however being a conscientious worker he always pushed forward and never missed a work day to provide for his wife and five children. Herb was not at all extravagant with himself, but very generous with his family and others. Herb and Sherlie started studying with Jehovah's Witnesses early 1959. They were some of the first attendees to gather together in a very small room in Montpelier ,Vermont. He was baptized September 3, 1961 as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. He made sure to instill Christian values in the upbringing of his children. He loved his God, Jehovah and spent countless hours preaching and teaching publicly about the Bible and God's Kingdom. His love of knowledge prompted him to continue his study and research of Bible Scripture until his death. He was an incredibly intelligent and talented man who was very honest with folks and had a witty sense of humor. He lovingly helped to build the last two homes he lived in with his wife. Herb could accomplish anything he set his mind to. Among his many other talents, he enjoyed beekeeping, hunting and sustainable forest management. Apart from his love of nature and wildlife, he also loved technology. Herb was able to keep up with the fast changing pace of technological advances. He was a great teacher and passed on knowledge without hesitation and great enthusiasm. As a younger man he did hunt and fish for food to feed his young expanding family. But as he aged he became very soft hearted and could not harm God's beautiful creations. Instead he enjoyed watching them from his front window. He would feed the wild birds daily, turkeys, crows, songbirds, and the gray squirrels that graced his window sills. We will always fondly remember his hilariously blunt nature. He always made his friends and family laugh with his unfiltered comments. But underneath his hard demeanor, he had the softest heart. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sherlie of Berlin, VT; sons and daughters-in-law, Randy and Jenny Roya of Tasmania and Shane and Betty Roya of Williamstown, VT; daughter and son-in-law, Jody and Tim DiPasquale of Auburn, GA, sons, Brent of Barre, VT and Travis of Berlin, VT. Youngest brother Leonard Roya Sr. of Williamstown, VT and 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Our family would like to thank our friends and family for all their loving support. The memorial service will be held on Tuesday, October 20th at 6pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's witnesses 2070 Airport Road, Barre VT