Roger L. Fortney, 66, of Concord, North Carolina (formerly of Grand Rapids, Ohio)
Born July 4, 1953, the second son of Marvin E. Fortney (deceased) and Marylou (Heising) Fortney was
placed in the hands of Lord on Monday, February 3, 2020.
The Man: Roger graduated from Otsego High School in 1971, joined the United States Army in 1973 and
severed his country for 2 years in Baumholder, Germany. Roger pursued a career working on cars and
“going racing” at many dirt and asphalt tracks all over the Midwest. In 1983, Roger moved to North
Carolina to join Race Hill Farms Racing. In 1985, his family joined him in NC and there was no slowing
down. Thanks to many skilled mentors, craftsman, laborers & colleagues along the way; Roger had
a successful 35 year career traveling all over the U.S., Canada, Mexico & even Japan. He worked
for teams all through ARCA, NASCAR and K&N and for some of the greats like: Freelander Racing
(Buddy Parrott), Cale Yarborough Motorsport, Jake “Suitcase Jake” Elder, Precision Products Racing (Phil
Parsons, Terry Labonte, Rick Mast), Sabco Racing (Kyle Petty, Joe Nemachek & Wally Dallenback),
Hendricks Motorsports (Ricky Craven & Jerry Nadeau) and most recently with BAM Racing &
Ken Schrader Racing Inc.!
The Myth: Having grown up in a small town, there is often 1 road that leads in and out. Roger’s road took
him further than he ever dreamt. From jack man, tire carrier & fuel can man; to brake lines,
suspensions & chassis set-up and driving BIG rigs, low-riders or toterhomes, racing was
electrifying to his soul. Racing wasn’t just his livelihood, it was his Passion and more importantly it
was his sanctuary. He found a genuine, diehard & generous congregation of people on and off the
track. These people embraced HIM-his personality, his humor, his size, his talents, even at times-his
“Grumpy” direct delivery. Racing allowed him to move @ 200 mph.
The Legend: There was never a dull moment with Roger around. Whether he was planning his next hunting
trip, riding a 4 wheeler or a stationary bike, he would drop everything to hold a baby. To some of us,
HOME is the smell of a home-cooked meal, but to Roger, home was a quick prayer followed by the roar of
an engine, the smell grease and burnt rubber. When he wasn’t consumed by the sport of racing, you could
find him front and center of one of his grandkids sporting events, helping with grandkid logistics,
celebrating at a birthday dinner, swinging by or supporting a lifelong friend going through a hard time.
Roger was a son, a brother, a nephew, an uncle, a cousin, a father and the very BEST Grandpa a kid could
dream of!
His voice was firm, his hands were dirty but his heart was HUGE.
He is survived by his former wife Patricia Weeks Fortney of Concord NC, his son Justin Fortney of
Kannapolis, NC, daughter Marianne Fortney-Baker (Randy) of Concord NC, 3 adoring grandchildren: Delaney,
Jillian & Ian Baker. He is also survived by his mother Marylou Fortney of Maumee, siblings
Michael (Holli) Fortney of Maumee; Margaret (Peg) Bucksky of Grand Rapids; Steve (Alice) Fortney of
Bowling Green, sister-in-law Pam Fortney of Bowling Green, along with numerous aunts, uncles, cousins,
nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.
Roger was preceded in death by his father Marvin “Fuzzy” Fortney and brother Ken Fortney.
The immediate family would like to extend our gratitude to the following: To our entire Family, to our
chosen FRamily & extended support circle in NC, to Harrison K. Rhee, M.D. for giving us 10 more
years, to the VA Hospital in Salisbury NC, to the staff and care providers at Rowan Regional-Novant, to
Kenny & Anne Schrader for their continued support of Dad over all these years and a very special
“thank you” to everyone who loved him.
A Funeral Mass will be held on February 8, 2020 at 11 a.m. at Saint Patrick Catholic Church with a
luncheon to follow in the parish hall for Family and Friends. Church address is 14010 South River Road,
Grand Rapids Ohio, 43522.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior project (woundedwarriorproject.org) or
Purple Heart Homes (purplehearthomesusa.org).
Father David Tscherne will offer the remembrance mass.
A memorial service will be held in Concord North Carolina at a later date, and we have BIGGER plans for
his final resting place.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tLHNrWStqpmXe6S7zGhpaWpiZH10e5BvZqunl5q%2FbriMn6arrJ6axnA%3D