Roger Wayne Gotschall, also known as "Coach", age 77, of Ames died at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines on February 28, 2016. A gathering of friends will be at 10:00 a.m. until Noon on Saturday, March 5, at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care, 414 Lincoln Way in Ames. Inurnment will be at a later date at Blencoe Cemetery in Blencoe, Iowa.
Roger was born September 8, 1938 in Blencoe, the son of Wayne and Paula Gotschall. He graduated from Blencoe High School. Coach attended Iowa State University graduating with a Civil Engineering degree. He taught Land Surveying at Iowa State University before joining the US Army in May of 1961, discharged in 1964. His first assignment with the Iowa Department of Transportation was in the Council Bluffs area. He then moved to Mason City to complete Interstate 35 from Dows to the Minnesota border. He finished his career in Ames as the head estimator in the Bridge Department. One of Roger's passions was chess; he played and taught it at the Ames Middle School and High School and also in the Ames Park and Recreation summertime program. He was a Senior US Federation Chess Tournament Director. You would also see him at the scorer table at the Iowa State men's and women's basketball games for over thirty years. He was a member of Ames Moose Lodge # 520, Ames Elks Lodge # 1626, Ames American Legion Post #37, Masonic Lodge A.F & A.M, and the Shriners.
Coach will be missed by a host of friends in Ames, Clear Lake, and Mason City along with his best friend, a Boston Terrier named Cypher "Cy".
Memorials may be directed to a charity of your choice.
Online condolences may be directed to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com