Roger Clifford Tang, Jr.
Roger Clifford Tang, Jr., 59, of Findley Lake, NY, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 22, 2019 surrounded by family.
Roger was born April 14, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York to Roger and Anne (Libasci) Tang.
He graduated from Oceanside High School in 1978, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from State University of New York College at Potsdam in 1982 and completed his MBA from Adelphi University in 1985. Roger followed in the footsteps of his father and proudly served as a fireman with Rockville Centre Fire Department Woodland – Engine Co. #4 from 1982 until 1990. Roger married his wife Annette Jean (Smith) Tang on October 11, 1987.
He began his wildly successful career in wireless with Metro Mobile in New York City in 1987, transferring to South Carolina in 1990 where he quickly became one of Verizon’s top leaders going on to lead teams in Boston, MA, serve as Regional President in Pittsburgh, PA from 1998 to 2010 and finally retiring as the South Market Area President in Atlanta, GA in 2017.
An avid New York sports fan, particularly the Rangers and Yankees, Roger religiously watched each game and could quote any statistic about a player or coach from the past century. His love of hockey and all sports led him to proudly coach his son, Andrew’s, hockey and baseball teams and continue playing hockey himself in various men’s leagues for many years. Roger also loved watching and rooting for his daughter, Rachel, during soccer and cross country competitions in the crisp Pennsylvania air on Saturday mornings, and during fencing tournaments later in Georgia. It is safe to say if there was a game on, Roger was watching it.
A proud snowbird, Roger enjoyed his retirement in Naples, Florida. He spent many hours on his boat, Hattrick, and would take any excuse to be near the water either fishing or enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Roger also enjoyed traveling where he went on several fishing trips to Alaska, ski trips across Colorado and Canada as well as golf trips to Scotland and many other PGA events.
Roger was loved by many and extremely proud of his children. He maintained deep friendships with his friends at SUNY Potsdam and dubbed them the “Potsdam Crew” where six couples and their families continued reunions for over 30 years, with the last being Labor Day 2019. Roger was a man with a big heart and a bigger smile, and those who were blessed to call him a friend will cherish his memory forever.
Roger is survived by his wife Annette (Smith) of Findley Lake, NY, son Andrew and his wife Emily of Tampa, FL and daughter Rachel of Findley Lake, NY., in addition to many beloved relatives.
He was preceded in death by his father, Roger Tang, Sr., of Rockville Centre, NY in 1998 and his mother, Anne Tang (Libasci) of Inverness, FL in 2018.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, Saturday, November 2 at East Lake Woodlands Country Club, 1055 East Lake Woodlands Parkway, Oldsmar, FL 34677.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html and Hockey Fights Cancer http://nhl.com/community/hockey-fights-cancer/donate-us-row.