Obituary
The following is from a bio Roger wrote for a Tucson Herpetological Society presentation in February, 2020 (yep, pre-pandemic!):
Roger Repp came out of his mother’s womb as a herpetologist. Upon graduating from High School, he followed the career-path advice of Ray Pawley, who was then curator of reptiles at the Brookfield Zoo. Ray told him: “Get into a trade, kid, that is where the money is.” Roger did exactly that, and five years later, he earned his journeyman tool and die maker degree. There was indeed a nice paycheck in that calling [working in Illinois, Florida, Washington, and Arizona, where he retired from his position as the Instrument Shop Supervisor for the National Optical Astronomy Observatory], and any free cash that remained after paying bills was spent in equal parts on gas and beer to get him where the herps could be found. He moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1981, and [after connecting with the THS] his interest in the local herpetofauna exploded into a rabid passion. He served as president of the THS, and was the recipient of its esteemed Jarchow Conservation Award for excellence in southwestern herpetology.
Roger maintained consistent field documentation of all snakes, several lizard species, and all turtles encountered in Arizona from 1989 through 1999, and broadened that dataset to include all herps encountered since the year 2000. In March of 2001, he joined forces with Dr. Gordon Schuett to begin a 15-year long radio telemetry study on four species of rattlesnake, as well as Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum). [His field notes are now archived at the Chiricahua Desert Museum, in Rodeo, New Mexico.]
Roger loved writing about the joy of ‘herping’ and sharing about the beauty of the natural world. He authored or coauthored over 20 peer review papers, and published over 100 herp-related articles in various herp society newsletters. For many years he published a monthly column in the Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society.
Roger Alan Repp (1954-2025) went home to be with the Lord on November 24, 2025, where he joined his beloved son, Tim; his parents, Ruth and Frank; two brothers, Robert and Ronald; and many other loved ones. Roger is survived by his wife, Dianna; sister, Julie (Arthur); brother, Dan; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He cherished his family, and loved spending time with them at home and in the wilds of nature. He was grateful for the memories and moments shared with them.
We close this obituary with Roger’s own words, which he used at the end of his articles:
“This here is Roger Repp, signing off from Southern Arizona, where the turtles are strong, the snakes are handsome, and the lizards are all above average.”
For more about the life and adventures of Roger Repp, please visit the Tributes section of this website.
Celebration of Life
Honoring the Life and Adventures of Roger Alan Repp
Recorded Saturday June 13, 2026
10:00am Central Time
Roger’s family invites you to view the celebration of life service & reception to honor his life and adventures.
Photo Gallery
Slideshow
Tributes to the Life and Adventures of Roger Repp
- “Memorial Tributes for Roger A. Repp.” Sonoran Herpetologist 39(1): Cover, 1-24, 2026
- “In Memoriam: Roger A. Repp (1954–2025).” Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 60(12): Cover, 180-184, 2025
- “Roger Repp: Herp King of Southern Arizona.” In The Buzz 2026 (14): 8, 9, 2026. Advocates for Snake Preservation
- “One of Our Own: Roger Repp as Nature Writer.” Cebula, John. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 61(3): 29-31, 2026
- Donor Network of Arizona: Roger is listed in the Stories section. Read more about Roger’s donation.
- Dan Beck’s Tribute to a Fellow Helodermaphile
- Memories of Roger – by Dale and Debble Rover
- Video: Kun-Yen Kuo: “Tribute to Roger”
- Video: David Larson, Sr.: “Memories of Uncle Roger.”
- Video: Ellen Larson: “Memories of Uncle Roger.”
- Video: Allison Larson: “Memories of Uncle Roger, my Godfather.”
Publications, Videos, Selected Articles by Roger Repp
- Roger Repp’s columns in the Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society (monthly: 2015-2022, in addition to occasional columns): See CHS Bulletin Index: https://chicagoherp.org/bulletins-2
- Video: “Blacktail Rattlesnake Field Research Arizona 2001.” 2001. Roger and Dr. Gordon Schuett hosted educational visits to their study site. “We [Kentucky Reptile Zoo] were allowed to follow Dr. Gordon W. Schuett and Roger Repp into the field to observe their studies of Crotalus m.molossus. Shows blood collection and collecting other data. All studies done with Permits from Arizona Fish and Wildlife.”
- Video: “Rattlesnake Research by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.” 2007. Video created in the fifth year of the 15 year research study site in Arizona. Roger is featured in one segment (4:51-7:14) demonstrating the tracking equipment
- “Mud Turtles, Gartersnakes, Froggies, Chytrids, Fires and Drought.” Repp, Roger. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 56(7):118-126, 2021. “…believe it to be the best thing I’ve ever written.”
- Photo Album: “Hello World! Heloderma suspectum Hatchlings.” 2016
- “Tucson man’s serendipitous find bolsters ASU research on baby Gila monsters.” Mace, Mikayla. Arizona Daily Star, Jul 11, 2018. Describes the events and people (including Roger) surrounding the discovery of the Heloderma suspectum hatchlings in 2016
- “Miscellaneous Herpetological Flandickery.” Repp, Roger. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 53(12): 264-269, 2018. Includes “Gila Claws is coming to town” on page 269
- “This Month’s Guest Speaker: Roger A. Repp: Herpetological Potpourri Part 3:The Last 35-mm Slide Show?” Sonoran Herpetologist 18(6): 61(Cover), 2005.
- “Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnakes, Crotalus atrox (Serpentes: Viperidae), Gain Water by Harvesting and Drinking Rain, Sleet, and Snow.” (Abstract) Repp, Roger A., and Gordon W. Schuett. The Southwestern Naturalist 53(1), 108-114, (1 March 2008).
- “Wintertime Observations on Five Species of Reptiles in the Tucson Area.” Repp, Roger A. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 33(3):49-56, 1998. “In 1998 Roger submitted a long article to the CHS Bulletin, entitled ‘Wintertime Observations on Five Species of Reptiles in the Tucson Area.’ That article has been one of the most-cited ever to appear in the Bulletin. And it proved to be instrumental in connecting Roger with Dr. Gordon Schuett, then with Arizona State University. That initial contact led to Roger and Gordon collaborating on the Suizo Mountain Project, a 15-year-long radio-telemetry study on four species of rattlesnakes, and Gila monsters as well. The massive dataset they collected has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed papers.” (Mike Dloogatch, In Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 60(12):180-181, 2025)
Community Resources and Crisis Services
Roger was a fierce believer in helping those in need – and lived this out by supporting people physically, financially, emotionally, etc. These organizations represent Roger’s heart to help people. If you find yourself in need, please reach out to a trusted loved-one or one of these community groups.
- https://www.feedingamerica.org/: Feeding America. “Find Food and Resources. We are here to help you find food and support today.”
- Veterans Crisis Line: Send a text to 838255. “24/7, confidential crisis support for Veterans and their loved ones.”
- Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741-741 to text with a trained crisis counselor from the Crisis Text Line for free, 24/7.
- The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 “TrevorSpace is a welcoming online social community for LGBTQ+ young people between the ages of 13-24 years old.”
- SAMHSA Treatment Referral Hotline (Substance Abuse): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- 988lifeline.org: 24/7 Crisis Hotline. “The 988 Lifeline is for everyone. Through the 988 Lifeline, you have access to free, quality, one-on-one assistance. Our skilled, judgment-free counselors are here to provide compassionate support. You deserve to feel heard and cared about anytime, anywhere, 24/7/365
- https://chat.988lifeline.org/: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, start chat
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the McHenry County Conservation Foundation (MCCF).
Roger’s passion for nature and conservation, beginning as a small boy roaming the countryside of McHenry County, was well known by all who loved him. The McHenry County Conservation Foundation “strives to support events and projects that connect people to the wilderness in their communities. . . . [and] has funded ecological training and nature education opportunities for more than 100 educational professionals and offered scholarships to underprivileged youth who otherwise would have been unable to attend summer camps hosted by the District.” Your support for this cause is a beautiful way to honor Roger.
So many beautiful thoughts and hearts sent today to Roger and all whose lives he touched and truly lit up and continues to light up. A life well lived, authentically and passionately, using and sharing all the wonderful gifts he was give. My love to you, Dianna and Roger.
What a heartfelt and fitting tribute to Roger’s memory. No wonder he was such an extraordinary individual; just look at the extraordinary family that shaped his life. It was wonderful to be reminded of how many lives he touched and helped shape, and that long list includes family, friends, colleagues and collaborators. He was unique: intelligent, knowledgeable, strong-willed, opinionated, loyal, loving, generous, sharing, and ridiculously funny. Our lives are all better and richer for having had Roger in them.
Our “Big Windies” herping group had our first herping trip without Roger in May. We returned to Arizona, and thought of Roger at every turn, every meal, every experience. We’ll never be herping again without thinking of Roger and we miss him.
My deepest sympathies to you all! What a wonderful celebration of life, thank you for sharing it virtually so I could attend! I truly enjoyed it! You are are very talented! Prayers are with you!
We will deeply miss you Uncle Roger and I wish you were here to meet my boys and teach them like you did us kids. We will never forget the Flat Stanley adventures or the Gila monster books. We only wish for more memories but I will cherish those we have. Thank you Auntie and Uncle for the christmas magic you left in our lives growing. We all love you and will miss you.
Condolences to you Dianna and to the Repp family. I very much loved Roger and who he was. I have many fun stories that I could share but will stick to my fondest memory. Roger and I would travel by train to Chicago Herpetological meetings.
On this particular evening were traveling with Luigi(Roger’s large bullfrog)(12 inches stretched out). The members were all impressed by Roger’ magnificent bullfrog. It was on the train on the way home that the problems began. We were seated on the upper deck of the train, boxed in by twenty or so sleeping or tired passengers. Luigi who was in a snake sack surrounded by not so moist seaweed was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Roger had untied the sack to try and make him more comfortable, but alas, he was drying out. He kept shifting in the sack until he gave a big leap. Because Roger had checked on him previously and failed to re-secure the sack, the leap caused the bag to invert and unceremoniously dump Luigi to the floor of the train car. Imagine a large frog landing in the aisle of the lower deck of the coach. While Luigi hoped down the aisle to screams of women and “what the hells” from the men and Roger attempting to excuse himself past twenty or so groggy upper deck passengers. It was chaos! We earned the friendship of the passenger sitting next to Roger and on subsequent trips he would ask with a smile, “whatcha got in the sack tonight boys?”
I will miss you greatly Roger. You will, however live on in my memories of the many stories forged in our friendship of many years!
And as an aside he was my best man!
Roger’s writings will continue to inform and entertain us. I enjoyed each one when it was first published, and I enjoy reading them. We only exchanged a few emails over the years, but Roger was a kindred spirit and I and many others will miss him.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/t5ai0r77ypysgra8g95nn/Tribute-to-a-fellow-Helodermaphile-with-photos.pdf?rlkey=rhyapzyl2csppsuxepu4c0z4t&st=38ef0gn3&dl=0
Thank you, Dan, for your kind tribute to Roger. He was honored to know you and call you a friend and colleague! Your letter is also posted in Tributes section of this website. Thank you again for your friendship, care and support. With gratitude, Dianna