Obituary of Gary W. Roaden

Gary W. Roaden of Union, age 78, passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at St. Elizabeth Hospice in Edgewood, KY with his wife and children by his side.

Born on April 19, 1946, in Corbin, KY to the late Allie {Brown} and Lawrence Roaden, Gary later moved to Walton, KY where he met his high school sweetheart, JoAnn Houston. After graduation, Gary joined the United States Air Force, where he proudly served as a Jet Engine Technician in the 57th Fighter Group while stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines during the Vietnam War.

After living overseas, as well as in Washington state and Georgia, Gary and JoAnn settled down in Walton, KY where they raised their two children close to family. Gary spent more than 35 years working at General Motors. While his career began at GM’s Assembly plant in Norwood, OH, it later took him to the company’s Technical Center in Warren, MI, where he worked as a Senior Process Engineer.  In this role, Gary oversaw the painting process at GM plants all across the US, Mexico, and Canada. This helped fuel a life-long love of travel that lives on in his family today.

After retiring from GM, Gary’s most cherished moments were spent with his wife, children, their spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and extended family members. He enjoyed planning a Roaden family reunion each fall, cooking and eating nearly every food imaginable, welcoming family and friends to summer backyard pool parties, exploring wineries throughout the US, traveling to Hawaii and Europe, and spending as many winter weeks in Florida or Mexico as possible. In his spare time, you could find Gary at his desk buying and selling stocks or purchasing something from Amazon. Extremely stubborn to the end, Gary was a beloved husband, dad, pappaw, brother, neighbor, and friend who will be deeply missed by those who knew him.

In addition to his parents, Gary was preceded in death by 10 of his 12 siblings; Mae, Faye, Amos, Felan, Lelan, Charles, Shirley, Larry, Billy, and Junior.

Survivors include his loving wife of 58 years, JoAnn Houston Roaden; children, Michael (Christine) Roaden and Rebecca (Daniel) Middendorf; beloved grandchildren, Amie (Jon) Turner, Sarah Roaden, Jacob Middendorf, Joshua Middendorf, and Justin Middendorf; great-grandchildren, Carter, Charlotte, Callen, and Caden Turner; siblings, Jane Disney and Marlene (Dale) Puckett; several nieces and nephews; as well as many other close friends and relatives who will cherish his memory.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, 45 N. Main St. Walton, KY 41094. The funeral service will begin at 1:00 PM, at the funeral home. Immediately following the service, Gary will be laid to rest at Richwood Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made in his name to Richwood Presbyterian Church, 1070 Richwood Rd. Walton, KY 41094. To share a memory or to leave an online condolence to the family, please visit the tribute wall above.