Roger Stockbridge Obituary, Death – Around the year 1990, shortly after I began competing in the IPSC shooting, I was introduced to Roger Stockbridge. This was back in the days before the Internet, when Wingate Park still had a shooting range, and Roger was still employed by Ford. Rita (Reets), his wife, was the SAPSA administrator, and she worked closely with the late General Wyatt Earp.
Meanwhile, two young guys by the names of Austen and Guy had not even started shooting yet! The vast majority of Roger’s incredible talent was passed down to his sons, Austen and Guy. Both of them have inherited their father’s talent as a marksman.
The triumph of the Stockbridge family as a unit at the 2002 IPSC World Shoot, where they took first place in the Modified Division as a team and Austen Stockbridge was named World Champion is sure to be remembered as a high point in their family’s history. Roger, Austen, Guy, and Justin Naidoo made up the Stockbridge squad. Rog was really pleased with everything that they had accomplished together throughout that year.
A week before Rog left this world to go and be with the other legends in the sky, I had the privilege of paying him a visit before he passed away. He felt confident that Austen and Guy would keep his legacy protected and intact while they were in charge of it. Definitely a proud father, as well as a loving husband and a nice friend on top of it all. Rog, may you finally rest in peace so that we may one day meet again on the vast shooting range in the heavens.
