Frederick Savanne Roth Jr.

Frederick Savanne Roth, Jr., 79, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on Monday, April 10, 2023.

Fred, (Rick to his friends and family) is survived by his loving wife of nearly 56 years, Joanne Roth of Alpharetta, GA; daughters Julie (Jason) Friedman and Amy (Bryan) Miller of Westfield, IN; sons Jeremy Savanne (Melissa) Roth of Chamblee, GA and Timothy (Amanda) Roth of Westfield, IN; grandchildren, Nathaniel, Ella, Ava, Addison, Lily, Maxwell, Avery, Bowman and Vincent.

Rick, a native of St. Louis, MO, raised his family in Missouri and Indiana. Ultimately, he finished his career and retired in Georgia with his wife Joanne whom he affectionately called “the little Italian”.

As a young man, Rick was a talented athlete and musician who earned the nickname “Ricky Rolla” by his peers at the University of Missouri at Rolla. A decorated Eagle Scout, he later proudly served his country with distinction as a U.S. Army Sergeant permanently assigned to the 371st Army Band during the Vietnam War. As a bugler, Fred was a member of the Military Funeral Honor Guard where he played taps for fallen patriots of the Vietnam War. In business, he was a master salesman and held executive positions with agricultural industry companies Monsanto and John Deere, focusing primarily on agricultural software applications.

Rick was an avid reader, history buff, and diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan who worked hard to beautify his home. He had a razor-sharp wit that was charismatic, cutting, kooky and captivating. A lifelong Catholic, he later in life became a member of the choir and had the opportunity to sing in five Italian Cathedrals including St. Peter’s Basilica, singing high praises via low notes. As a grill-master (charcoal, of course) he was always improving his chops, literally and figuratively. As a golf enthusiast, he never wavered in his relentless pursuit of the perfect game, no matter how much it eluded him. The highlight of his golf hobby was his bucket list trip to Pebble Beach with family.

Rick loved his four children and nine grandchildren dearly and enjoyed attending as many of their activities in multiple states as he could. He was a father whose staunch pragmatism and iron-clad work ethic created opportunities to provide for his family. He was truly a one-of-a-kind leader, provider, gentleman and scholar, and his absence has left a hole in the hearts of all those who love him. He will be dearly missed.

Services to be held in Georgia and Indiana are as follows:

A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at 1:30 PM at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Duluth, GA. A private family viewing will take place before the service. A reception will follow the Mass.

Visitation will be held Friday, April 28, 2023, at Flanner Buchanan – Carmel, Indiana from 12:00-2:30pm followed by a Liturgy service at 2:30pm and Military Burial at Our Lady of Peace Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers please consider donations to the following organizations that Rick supported:

Tunnel to Towers Foundation (T2T.org)

1p36 Deletion Syndrome Support and Awareness (1p36dsa.org)

Joseph Maley Foundation (josephmaley.org)