THE REV. DR. ROGER S. BORAAS
February 4, 1926-December 3, 2014
Roger Boraas served on the First Amman Center Committee after the founding of the American Center in Amman, Jordan. Since 1968, Roger had supervised a number of ACOR related field projects. In 1982, he was called upon once again to help with excavation work at Khirbet Iskander.
Continue reading for a remembrance written by Roger’s daughter, Miriam.
Roger S. Boraas grew up on a small farm in Scandia, MN where he attended a one-room school where his mother was a teacher. After graduating from Forest Lake High School he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and earned his B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Augustana Theological Seminary in Rock Island, IL and was ordained as a Lutheran pastor in 1952. He served Emanuel Lutheran Church, Pleasantville, NY and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Cleveland Heights, OH. In 1958 he was called to Upsala College in East Orange, NJ, first as Chaplain and then as Professor of Religion until his retirement in 1991. An Old Testament scholar and archaeologist, he completed his doctoral studies at Drew University in Madison, NJ. His extensive scholarly work included serving as associate editor of the Harpers Bible Dictionary, the Word and Witness program of the former Lutheran Church in America, and 13 archeological expeditions in Jordan, in conjunction with the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman.
Roger married Aina Evodia Anderson on June 22, 1948, and he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who enjoyed music, gardening, camping, model trains, reading. Aina survives him, as do their children Miriam (Ralston) Deffenbaugh, Marcia Boraas (Eugene Lugano), and Roger Boraas, and grandchildren Natalie and Carl; Elisabeth and Daniel; and Marisa and Liana; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The funeral service was held on Dec. 23, 2014, 11 A.M. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1224 Melrose Avenue, Melrose Park, PA, reception following. A memorial service is planned for the spring of 2015. In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may be made to ACOR (Roger S. Boraas Library Fund), 656 Beacon Street, 5th floor, Boston, MA 02215, or to Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) World Hunger, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631.