William C. Bill Roland Jr. Obituary (1947

Bill Roland passed away in Salt Lake City on September 24, 2024, at the age of 77 after a short illness. Bill was born on July 3, 1947, to Dr. William Chester Roland, Sr. and Anne Hathaway Roland. Bill graduated from St. Louis University with a Bachelor's degree and later from the University of Utah with an additional Bachelor's degree. Bill's abiding passion was the game of golf. He worked for many years for Golf Card International and, later in life, ran his own golf card business. In addition to being an excellent golfer, Bill possessed a remarkable trove of amusing and entertaining golf stories, with which he regaled family and friends. One of Bill's proudest achievements was a book he authored ,"Champagne Tony Lema: Triumph to Tragedy", published in 2014. He idolized Tony and proudly boasted that he was likely the last person to shake Tony's hand before his untimely death in a plane crash in 1966. His other sporting passion was skiing, as he delighted in skiing over 100 times each winter season. Bill had a daughter, Carrie, by a marriage which ended in divorce. Bill married his wife Sandy, to whom he was devoted, on October 5, 1991, in Salt Lake City. Bill and Sandy lived for many years in Columbus, Ohio, until returning to Salt Lake City in 2015 upon Bill's retirement. Bill was a diehard fan of Ute football and the Utah Jazz. After a life threatening health issue in 2023 and during Bill's final illness, his daughter Carrie provided unwavering love, support and assistance to Bill and Sandy. Bill is survived by his wife Sandy, daughter Carrie (Jay Teddy), sisters Anne Metrailler and Kate (Howard) Pease, grandchildren Katherine and Jacob Kale, and his beloved nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 27, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church in Taylorsville, Utah. Arrangements handled by Neil O'Donnell Funeral Home. Bill was warm and generous and could light up the room with his sense of humor. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.