Parker County Today JULY 2019 | Page 14

Continued from page 8 ous awards over the years. Pizza Place was named Small Business of the Year by The Weatherford Chamber of Commerce, Best Pizza in Weatherford for four consecu- tive years by The Weatherford Democrat; Roger was awarded the James Doss Award for Community Service from the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce, he was voted Outstanding Citizen by the Weatherford Chamber, and was awarded the 2016 WISD Distinguished Service Award. He was named one of the Top 100 Most Interesting Parker County People four times by Parker County Today magazine, and an award entitled The Roger Grizzard Innovative Educator was named in his honor, because he was the standard bearer for teach- ing young people in a way that went beyond reaching their minds; he reached their hearts, as well. Roger presented his award with great enthu- siasm each year to an outstanding young teacher at the Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes gala. “Roger exemplified the heart and soul of small-town Weatherford,” said Lisa Galbreaith Louviere. “That man was a genuine caregiver and teacher. His presence in this town will always be treasured, and I know he felt that. I know he felt the love from all of us.” Surprisingly, Roger wasn’t born in Parker County; he was born in Fort First Lieutenant. When Roger returned home from the Army he opened the first Pizza Place in Stephenville and in 1975 opened the now infamous Pizza Place in Weatherford. Weatherford was a great fit for Roger and vice versa. When Roger and his wife, Jeanine, moved here, they were practically newlyweds. Their children Holly and Tyler came along later. Both Roger and Jeanine became gifted teachers. She taught English at Weatherford High School and he taught government, economics and social stud- ies. Teaching school while running a business and raising a family couldn’t have been easy; the aver- age person would not have bothered with joining service organizations or raising money for charities. He served on more boards than one can easily count during the 43 years in Weatherford. But, clearly, Roger was not average and neither was Jeanine. “Roger was a man of few words,” said his long-time friend Drew “Roger exemplified the heart and soul of small-town Weatherford.” — Lisa Galbreaith Louviere. Worth on July 18, 1946 and spent his childhood there, but spent most of his teenage years in Stephenville and, in 1964 graduated from Stephenville High School. Roger went on to earn a BA in History and a Masters in Teaching from Tarleton State University. Roger served his country during the Vietnam War as an Army Our goal is to serve every family as if they are a part of our own. 12 Family Owned and Operated Funeral Directors: Jim Christen • Melody Turner • James R. Plowman • Caitlin Martinez Misty Plowman Engel Apprentice Funeral Director 913 N. Elm St., Weatherford TX 76086 • 817-594-2747 | 4941 I-20 Frontage Road Willow Park, TX 76087 • 800-593-2747