The obituary notice of Roger James (Rog) STEVENS

For Roger, my brother

Through the echoes of his life, he lives.
His absence, though a silence devastatingly loud
He left a presence of which we’re lovingly proud

Through the echoes of his life, he lives.
His voice, his laughter, his unique ways,
His spirit, within our hearts, never strays,

Through the echoes of his life, he lives.
His story forever, to be told and retold
His being, an eternal happiness to behold

Through the echoes of his life, he lives.
For in our thoughts, his being thrives,
Inextricably forged within our lives

Through the echoes of your life Rog, We live

Love you youth

Did, do and will.

Pete

Brother, I think of you,
I imagine your chair

Your chair may sit empty,
Yet its filled with memories,
Laughs shared,
Tears shed,
Dreams woven.

It's your chair,
Yet it's not.
For you are not here to fill it anymore

Yet in its emptiness,
I find solace,

For it reminds me of you,
Of us,
Of a brother’s bond unbroken.

The chair is empty,
Yet it is so full,
Full of you.

Love you Youth
Always did
Always do
Always will.

Thank You Brother.

We shared more than years
we shared also our unique foundations of childhood itself,

Our foundations for life itself.

And as my brother you were ever present
in those moments that shaped who I became,
and of course, so shaping who we became.

From those early life lessons
milestones, some significant at the time,
others that only became clearer in later years.
together we learned about life,
firstly as kids, then as young men.

Nothing ever diminished our love or loyalty,
and as we grew, even distance
could not undo that which we created together,

Our brothers' bond.

So formed in childhood,
strengthened in youth
and matured in adulthood,

Our bond remained steady,
ever a rock, ever a bulwark
across decades of ever changing circumstances, events and challenges.

Your absence now makes memories
of such a bond
most precious,

For now; I am the only one
to remember those memories
to have felt that bond.

I am the most fortunate of men,
to have shared our unique upbringing
to have shared that bond
to have shared my life
with you, my Brother.

You are still with me
still in my heart
you can never be gone
will never be gone.

Thank You Brother

Brother

I still talk to you
but then you know that

Today,
I’m keeping you up to date

But the sentence
is not finished...

For as usual
you’re here with me again

Today recalling our time
as young brothers,

Just young kids
before we were men

Each day,
slowly forming our way in the world

Seemingly, randomly
taking this route or that

Naturally sometimes
taking us apart, but never breaking our bond

Your routes
leading you to decades of unique happiness and love

My routes,
Also

But back to today, tell me Bruv
you’re the smart one

How can you be gone
but still here

An infinity away
yet here,

with me,

every day?

Do you come to help me
Or I you?

No matter,
Come as often as you can

Brother

I’d like to believe that Rog might agree with these special words, mostly by M. Mead


To the living, I am gone,
To the sorrowful, I will never return,
To the angry, I was cheated,

But to the happy, I am at peace,
And to those I loved
Who loved me back
I have never left.

I cannot speak,
but I can listen.
I cannot be seen,
but I can be heard.

If you stand upon 'our' places,
If you look upon 'our' sights,
Please remember us
With happy comforting thoughts.

Recall the times we cried,
The times we fought,
The times we laughed.
And the years and years that we loved.

Abidingly.

Please in every sense ,

Continue…

…For be of no doubt

That I will be doing the same.

The Impact He Left Behind

My brother’s life was a testament to generosity.
He gave without keeping score — his time, his advice, his laughter, his love.
He left behind not just memories, but lessons: to be kind even when it’s hard, to find joy in small things and to never underestimate the power of simply being there for someone.

A Personal Farewell

Though he is no longer here in the way we wish, I feel him in the quiet moments — in the way the wind moves through the trees, in the songs we used to play or enjoy, in the courage I find when I need it most.
I will carry his spirit with me, not as a shadow of loss, but as a light that guides me forward.
My brother’s story doesn’t end — it lives on in every life he touched, in every heart he warmed, and in every act of kindness inspired by his example.

Closing

I will never say goodbye.
I will say thank you — for the love, the laughter, the lessons, and the life we shared.
You were my brother by birth, but my hero by choice and I would have searched the world to have you as my friend.
I did not have to search far.
I did, I do and will love you, always,

Brother of Mine

Brother of Mine

A Personal Memory

I still remember the sound of his laughter — warm, unguarded, and contagious.
It could fill a room and, somehow, fill your heart at the same time.
My brother had a way of making even the most ordinary moments feel extraordinary. Whether it was a quiet confidential sit, a shared joke, or a late-night conversation, he had the gift of turning time into something precious.

Celebrating His Character

He was more than my brother — he was my confidant, my protector, and my friend. He lived with a rare combination of strength and kindness.
He stood firm in his principles, yet his heart was always open.
He had a way of seeing the best in people, even when they couldn’t see it in themselves.
He taught me that courage isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it’s the quiet determination to keep going, to keep loving,
And,sometimes its just to keep showing up for the people who matter.
And he did all of this that — every single day.

Celebrating You being my awesome big brother,

How… well…
Always loving…always strong…always there when you were needed,
(and sometimes when you weren’t)
Always a guide…always ready to help…always my unique friend to be counted on.
(but always being that very special mate, namely, my awesome big brother)

Rog, remember? You used to take me and friends on adventures…like…

Let’s go out on a narrow boat, cruising along a rapidly rising River Trent and get that narrow boat wedged, by its roof, (by that rising river level), under a metal girder bridge

Rog, remember your solution? 2 guys on each side of the boat standing on its gunnels, pressing up on the bridge metalwork, well...it worked, Press up on bridge…boat goes lower…river moved boat 6 inches downstream. Repeat as necessary until boat pops free. Now that was awesome big brother!!!

And whilst I’m remembering Rog, I’m sure you recall a certain Ford Transit trip to London, Middle Earth Rock Venue (venue? More like a cellar 20ft x 20ft), weird smelling ‘cigarette’ smoke in the air??? The Yardbirds playing… not quietly. Strange though how on the way home that noisy diesel Transit was much much quieter but we still had to shout to hear one another… for the next week.

Roger, you were my best man, not only when I married Brenda, but also on every single day, both before and since.

Awesome big brother!!!