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‘Survivor: Amazon’ Alum Roger Sexton Dead at 76 After ‘Courageous Battle’ With Dementia
Roger Sexton, who battled the elements in 2003’s Survivor: The Amazon, is dead at the age of 76 following a “valiant and courageous battle” with dementia. He died on October 26, 2022, at the home of his daughter and son-in-law in Walla Walla, Washington, surrounded by family members, according to his obituary.
“Confidence, discipline, and determination to succeed were all vital components to Roger’s character, which assisted him in being cast on Season 6 of the reality TV show Survivor in 2002. However, the other more challenging aspects of his character eventually prevailed, leading to his eventual demise, but provided lasting memories of the exacerbating force that was Roger,” the obit read.
Roger finished 10th out of the 16 contestants on his season, getting eliminated upon the tribal merges. He lasted 21 days in the Rio Negro of the Amazonas, Brazil, region. While his health and stamina kept him going, he clashed with some fellow Jaburu tribe members, who recruited several Tambaqui members to blindside Roger and eliminate him after the Jacaré merge.
His obituary stated that Roger was born in Oakland, California, on September 26, 1946, and was raised in the Bay Area. After graduating from high school in 1964, Roger enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, going ton to serve in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1967.
Roger returned home in 1968 and married his longtime sweetheart, Diane Rodrick, whom he was wed to for 54 years. He earned a degree in construction management from the California Polytechnic Institute, San Louis Obispo, in 1971. He went on to work as an executive and vice president at general contracting giant, Tutor Perini Construction.
In his spare time, Roger enjoyed the great outdoors, including backpacking in the Sierra Nevada mountains, skiing across the West and Rockies, “helicopter skiing in the Ruby Mountains and riding the dusty trails of Southern California on his mountain bike.”
Roger and Diane had two daughters, Heather and Amy. Sadly, the family lost Heather at the age of 16 due to viral pneumonia in 1992. He became a grandfather with the birth of Amy’s children, Drew and Hadley Evensen, who endearingly called Roger “Be Pa,” according to his obituary, which added, “Therefore, it is with love that we say goodbye, or as Be Pa would often say, ‘See you later, alligator, in a while, crocodile, don’t let the moles slow you down.”
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