Lt. Col. Roger D. Shiley

​Lt. Col. Roger D. Shiley entered into eternal rest August 26, 2023 after a lengthy battle with vascular dementia at the age of 83. Roger was born the third of four children to George and Berdina Shiley on January 3, 1940 in Angola, Indiana. As a teenager, the family relocated to Tampa, Florida where he graduated from Chamberlin High School. Following high school, Roger worked briefly as a salesman with the Hav-A-Tampa Cigar Company and served in the Florida National Guard. From there, he transitioned into a career of full-time military service in the United States Army. His military service included duty stations at Hunter Army-Airfield in Savannah, GA, Ft. McAllen, TX, Ft. Leavenworth, KS, Ft. Gordon, GA, as well as Kitzingen and Zweibrücken, Germany. Highlights of his military career included two tours of duty as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, his years of service as the Professor of Military Science at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, and being the recipient of the Legion of Merit Award in 1988. After his tours of duty in Vietnam, Roger enrolled in the University of Tampa where he graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He furthered his education at Pepperdine University, graduating in 1980 with a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management. After 31 years of full-time active-duty service, Roger retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Signal Corps of the United States Army. 

​Following his retirement from the Army, Roger and his wife, Jane, retired to the beautiful mountains of Brevard, NC, where, together, they owned and operated Mountain Heirlooms Clock Gallery. Here they offered a variety of clocks, antiques, and local crafts for sale. Mostly, though, he enjoyed fixing and restoring old clocks, a hobby he began while stationed in Germany. During his time in Brevard, he honed his woodworking skills, becoming a master craftsman of turned wooden candle sticks, plates, bowls, and pens. The height of his woodworking abilities was shown in his perfection of the “captured ring” technique. Roger was also an avid fisherman. Following their time as clock-shop keepers, Roger and Jane enjoyed traveling, spending time with their children, and dividing their time between Brevard and their home in Crystal River, FL. For the past five years Roger had made his home in Jesup, GA, under the care of his daughter, Amy and son, Allen. 

​In addition to his parents and siblings, Roger was predeceased by his wife of 34 years, Jane Benson Shiley and his son, Brian Shiley. Left to cherish his memory are his children Amy Shiley Groover (Creston) and Allen Shiley of Jesup, GA; Jeff Shiley (Boni) of Ft. Valley, GA; and Curtis Shiley (Leanne)of North Augusta, SC; and children from his blended family Toddi Kuykendall (Gary) of Clinton, SC and David Benson(Hailey) of Concord, NC. He was also beloved by his 13 grandchildren Alex Shiley, Logan Shiley, Holly Owens, Allison Sample, Katelyn Woodsmall, Brandon Shiley, Ryan Shiley, Caredith Groover, Marigrace Groover, Ruby Benson, Levi Benson, Wesley Benson, Sawyer Benson; and 4 great-grandchildren.

​A private memorial will be held at a later date. Those wishing to commemorate his life may do so by making a donation to Hospice of South Georgia, 1625 Sunset Blvd., Jesup, GA 31545.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lt. Col. Roger D. Shiley, please visit our floral store.