ROGER CAWTHON Obituary

In the warm embrace of loving family members, Roger Edward Cawthon, 67, departed this world on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at his home in Kitty Hawk, NC. He was born in Newport News, VA, graduated from Ferguson High School and received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from which he graduated in 1975.

He served in the United States Army before going to work for Ford Motor Company as a design and test engineer. Roger's love of sports led him to a career as a sportscaster at the then-brand new CNN in Atlanta, GA. He moved back to Hampton Roads in 1981 where he became the Sports Director at WVEC-TV. In 1993, Roger opened American Builders of Virginia , Inc., which he managed until his retirement in early 2020.

He married Kathy Jenkins in 1984 and they were "joined at the un-hip" for 36 years.

Giving and generous, Roger was a quiet servant of his God. He loved to laugh and was quick with a joke. He survived a life-threatening cancer in 1995. He and his wife (also a cancer survivor) ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 1999 to celebrate their survival. He became an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society, chairing the Todd Stadium Relay For Life for two years and received the Board of Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement from the American Cancer Society. He spent 10 years on the road with his wife, traveling to cancer survivor events and conferences around the country as a keynote speaker, spreading his message of fighting cancer with hope and humor and the spirit of a warrior. Like so many warriors who fall on the battlefield, Roger was taken by the very enemy he had devoted so many years to fighting.

Roger was preceded in death by his father, James Vernon Cawthon, Jr. He is survived by his mother, Gwendoline Cawthon of Newport News; his wife Kathy of Kitty Hawk, NC; two step-sons he loved as his own, Ryan Corbett of Hampton and Reid Corbett of Chesapeake; sister Mary Priddy (Bobby) of Newport News; brother Rick (Martha) of Kitty Hawk, NC; brother John (Jennie) of Elm City, NC; nieces Tina (Tom) Herbert, Amy Priddy and fiancé Wade Radcliff, Dawn (Greg) Tew, P.J. (Kyle) Stembridge, Tracy (Doug) Wennmacher, and nephew Michael Cawthon; 3 great-nieces, Gwendolyn and Adeline Herbert, and Sydney Cawthon, and 3 great-nephews, Christopher and Nicholas Stembridge, and Caleb Wennmacher.

Donations can be made to charities that support children with cancer and their families, first responders who fall in the line of duty and their families, and no-kill animal shelters.

Roger was a huge Eagles fan, and a favorite song by that band was "Hole in the World." There is, indeed, a hole in the world tonight, and it's shaped like Roger Cawthon.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a public gathering to celebrate Roger's life will be held at a later date. To view the full obituary and to leave a memory, please go to www.weymouthfuneralhome.com. Arrangements by Weymouth Funeral Home