Article about Roger from Winston Salem newspaper

Saturday, June 11, 2011

LEWISVILLE --
Roger Fowler, a Lewisville councilman who served the town for nearly two years while battling stage 4 rectal cancer, died Thursday. He was 39.

Fowler was first elected to the council in 2005 and became known for his passion for keeping Lewisville's small-town feel through managed growth.


"We're heartbroken," said Dan Pugh, the mayor of Lewisville. "He was a very forthright and honest person. You didn't have to guess where he stood."

Fowler was also active in youth soccer, coaching his two(should read 3) children at various times.

In July 2009, he learned of his cancer diagnosis. He continued to coach and serve on the council.

"He was a brave young man and extremely courageous," Pugh said. "He was an inspiration to a lot of us with how he conducted himself, knowing that he had this serious health situation. You never saw that in him. He will be missed, no doubt."

Fellow Councilman Mike Horn called Fowler a "genuine, honest and always sincere person of his word."

This year, Fowler became involved in the Get Your Rear in Gear, a 5-kilometer race that raised money for colon cancer. Although he was too sick to become as involved as he had hoped, he saw the race as a way to teach people about an illness that many people associate with older people.

In an interview in March, Fowler said, "If you can catch this disease early, you don't have to go through what I'm going through or what other stage 4 patients are."