
Roger Lee Scriven, 83, of Galesburg, went home to his loving Father at 7 p.m. Friday, March 23, 2018, in the Knox County Nursing Home.Roger was born August 15, 1934, in Galesburg, the son of Harvey Z. and Florence (Anderson) Scriven. He married Marilyn J. Peterson on December 29, 1955, who preceded him in death April 4, 2015.
He is survived by a son, Mark Scriven, of South Elgin, Illinois; a daughter, Ann (Scriven) Smith of Berwyn, Illinois; a granddaughter, Savanna Grace Smith; three nephews, Terry (Kaylee) Johnson of Galesburg, Teddy Johnson of Galesburg, and Tim Johnson of Knoxville; and many great nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife, his parents preceded him in death, along with his sister, Stella Maxine Johnson.
Roger was raised in Wataga and met Marilyn at Galesburg High School, where they graduated in 1952 and married in 1955. They eventually settled in Oak Park, Illinois, where he taught math at the Oak Park River Forest High School as they raised their family. After teaching 29 years at Oak Park, he and Marilyn retired and moved to Savanna, Illinois, where they lived for 17 years before moving back “home” to Galesburg in 2007.
He attended Galesburg High School and received his Bachelor of Science at Western Illinois University. He earned his Master’s at the University of Kansas, where he inadvertently earned a bonus degree of “husbandry” – for single-handedly delivering his daughter. He did have help from Marilyn.
He was a master carpenter, building everything from furniture, to house additions, to remodeling (and once actually building) houses. He gave a creative and unique perspective to his projects and brought a sense of economy both of use and of space to everything he built.
He had been a Deacon at First Presbyterian Church in Oak Park while living there and was currently a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg. Roger also had a passion for bowling and was able to achieve multiple ‘300’ games. His love of computers was legendary to his friend and family. He was a member of the Class of 1952 Reunion Committee.
Cremation was accorded. Visitation will be noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services Galesburg Chapel.