Roger Robar of Lisbon died peacefully at his home on Saturday, January 7, 2023, from pulmonary fibrosis with his wife at his side. He was 86.

Roger was born on June 15, 1936, in Littleton to Lorne and Hazel (Lucia) Robar. He was a lifelong resident of Lisbon and married his high school sweetheart, Ruth (Lee), on September 17, 1960.

He worked for Whitney's Weatherproofing for 36 years, specializing in remodeling kitchens and other home improvements. He was highly sought-after for his workmanship and loving attention to details.

Roger's passion for all aspects of railroading developed as a young man and continued throughout his life. He was a sought-after wealth of knowledge to historians and modelers alike, especially for the period of steam to first generation diesels (1920's – 1953) on the Boston & Maine line.

His home, HO-scale, layout was 12x28' with three levels reproducing the route from Well River / Woodsville to the Groveton paper mill, including all the railroad-served industries along the way. Roger and his train buddies created scratch-built bridges and buildings to replicate locations from the period. As he would say, he was recreating history in miniature.

But not only in miniature. After retiring, he worked part-time at the Conway Scenic Railroad, restoring historic rail cars to their original glory. During that time, he owned a working caboose from the period and later an on-site, refrigerated box car converted into a very comfortable apartment with bedroom, bath, kitchen and living area. No train buff had it better than living comfortably at the rail yard while working with like-minded people to repair, restore, and operate historic trains.

Roger was involved in many organizations and activities in Lisbon, although his legacy might best be seen in the rescued and restored historic Lisbon Railroad Station. Built by the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad in 1853, the station is noted for its unusual architectural design, the only station of its kind. Serving as Clerk of the Works, he donated hundreds of hours to the restoration project. Every aspect of the project, from the doors to the shape of the clapboards and their color, was restored or custom designed by Roger. For five years, he would be at the station working to bring it back to life, piece by piece. It stands as a monument to the past, present, and future and is now open to the public.

He was known not only for his woodworking and photographic skills, but for his character, integrity, unselfish dedication, enthusiasm, and creative energy.

Roger was an active member of the Lisbon Bible Church. His deep and abiding Christian faith was evident in his quiet, gentle, and generous nature. He was a giving man aware of others' needs and readily helped where he could.

Roger is survived by his wife of 62 years, Ruth (Lee) and their two sons, Randy and his wife Lisa of South Royalton, VT, and Doug and his wife Elizabeth and four children of Stowe, VT.

He was preceded in death by his sisters Marjorie (Poor), Margaret (Jarrell), and his twin brother, Ronald.

The funeral will be held at Lisbon Bible Church on Tuesday, January 17 at 1pm. Burial will be held in the spring. There will be no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lisbon Area Historical Society, PO Box 6, Lisbon NH 03585, of which Roger was a Trustee.