Roger Gordy was an EverPresent OG. Every morning for the last six years, as early as possible, while most people were still contemplating their morning commutes and the skies were still grey, Roger would begin his day at EverPresent. Half an hour early, no matter when he was scheduled.
Often in sync with our early morning video team members, he collected his work for the day and stationed himself by the front door, greeting almost everyone as they began to arrive in two’s and three’s for their daily shifts. He has been a constant and bright start to everyone’s day since the beginning.
He first joined our team as a photo scanning technician when the entire company numbered less than 20 people. He quickly proved that his experience and interest in photography were unparalleled and the joy he got from the history in every photograph and negative he scanned were unmatched.
Most of our team has spent years learning from Roger and listening to his stories. All of us are heartbroken to no longer be greeted by him each morning. We’ve collected these words from his current and former colleagues so we can share with each other, his friends, his family and the thousands of clients he has helped over the years.
Rest in Peace, Roger.
Roger discusses one of his favorite projects with us in 2019
A Note from our Owner
“It always seemed like angels sent Roger to EverPresent, and I’m sure he’s with them now. When we started this company we had a vision about how to preserve images for families, and more than anyone Roger helped us figure out how to do so in a high-quality yet affordable manner. That’s especially true when it came to any form of slides or negatives, the formats Roger truly enjoyed. With Roger, there was no such thing for me as a simple hello. I had to budget at least 15 minutes – 5 minutes to hear his idea of the week – and then at least 10 more because the idea was always good and thought-provoking and had the best interests of the company and our clients in mind.
As Roger’s tenure at EverPresent grew from one year to two to five, his ideas and teachings impacted literally tens of thousands of clients. But what I appreciated most as time were his efforts befriending, mentoring and teaching our more junior team members. He did it because he loved working with young people, and I know they loved him in return. Two decades into my career and eight years into EverPresent, it’s no exaggeration to say that Roger Gordy was one of the most interesting and high integrity individuals I’ve gotten to know. It was a privilege to work with him, and EverPresent will never be quite the same without him.”
Words from our Team
“When I first joined the company as a scanning tech, I sat across from Roger every day. I had come to the job determined to keep my head down and avoid forming attachments since I didn’t know where life would take me next. Roger put a wrench in that plan almost immediately. I quickly learned that I would not be able to wear headphones, as he had a new story to share every day. He quickly learned that if I wasn’t able to wear headphones, I would sing to every song that came through the office speakers. Roger was somehow never annoyed by this and if I didn’t sing he’d ask why. He picked on me every day for relentlessly forgetting the date. He trained me on the fundamentals of negative scanning, forcing efficiency and challenging me to races when we worked on the same jobs.
When I grew in the company, Roger encouraged and comforted me in ways others couldn’t. He had a talent for saying “”You can do this”” and convincing you it was the truth. He always put integrity above smooth sailing and always joined in laughing in the face of challenges.
I can only speak directly to my affection for Roger, but it was obvious how he impacted every person who he interacted with. He reached out to people rather than losing touch when they moved on from the company. He always congratulated his peers. He rarely left things unsaid. He was important to everyone he knew.”
– Amy H
“I remember him telling me one time that scanning negatives was his favorite because he never knew what he’d get – that it was like opening a gift. He was a kind soul, and the real gift was knowing him. He’ll be missed!”
– Hilary L.
“Roger was so full of kindness, and had such wonderful stories. He knew a bit of something from everything; you name it and he had info on it. When I got the opportunity to talk to Roger in between work, the conversations were always lively and interesting. Roger would always smile at me when he walked by too. He had a very warm smile, and it helped to make my day feel a little better.
You will be missed, Roger. Rest in peace. 🌟”
– Anonymous
“I’m so saddened to hear about Roger’s passing. During my time at EverPresent Roger always went out of his way to help me whenever I had a question or problem. It was a comfort to me to have a co-worker who was so friendly and approachable. My sincerest condolences go out to Roger’s family.”
– Tony G.
“I was new at EverPresent, but Roger didn’t need to know me at all to offer me a little shelter and some warm conversation in his car on a snowy morning as we waited for the building to be unlocked. He made me feel at home and told me stories about the thousands of people he must have impacted with his game design work. Roger was a much-needed reminder in these difficult times that we aren’t defined as much by the big accomplishments in our lives, but more by the collection of the many small things we do every day. He made me feel good about the work I was doing, and I’m glad to have known him, even if it was just for that short time.”
– Douglas P.
“Roger was always so thoughtful and hard-working, and I enjoyed engaging with him in his passions at work. Anything from discussions on old and unique film types to conversations on politics and sports, he always had something interesting to say and was enthusiastic to share. He had a huge influence on me and I learned so much from him, including how to use most of the digitizing equipment. I’m tremendously sad to hear of Roger’s passing, and I’ll miss him lots.”
– Dave C.
“Roger was such a unique and interesting man, and always a joy to talk with. He was never without something surprising and insightful to say, and always made sure to say hello to anyone who passed his way. He will be so missed.”
– Kate D.
“Roger greeted me every morning with warm smile on his face, with all of the stresses of the day; I had that smile to look forward to. Thank you, for brightening my days.”
– Nicole
“I really enjoyed opening up in the morning and Roger would be there asking how my long commute from NH has been. We would talk about a lot of random things, but he always made mornings a little happier and brighter. He will be greatly missed.”
– Steve U.
“Words cannot express how sad I am right now. Roger was an insanely brilliant, talented and thoughtful man. I am so thankful to have had the honor to pick his brain even for five minutes, let alone almost four years. Thanks for giving me all of those rides to the train in the rain. Rest easy, friend.”
– Liz B., pictured above with Roger
“I had the pleasure of working with Roger for over 2 years. He was always the first person to say good morning to me. When I first started working at EverPresent, Roger was the first person I would look for if I had any questions about scanning transparencies. In addition to answering any questions, Roger would take the extra time to teach me more, and pass on any techniques that helped him. It will be difficult hearing the Nikon scanners and not immediately thinking about Roger. He will be missed. “
– Adam
“I’ve gotten to know and work closely with Roger for the 1 year that I’ve been with EverPresent so far. I’ll always admire how incredibly helpful he was for not only me, but for the rest of our photo team, taking as much time as needed to make sure we were successful in everything we worked on. Roger took pride in his work at EverPresent and it really showed. He showed me just about everything there was to know about film digitizing and it most certainly won’t be the same without him. I enjoyed our conversations about photography history and he truly was a young soul at heart. May he rest in peace.”
– Mitchell G.
“My first memory of Roger was him walking around to talk to new technicians, and ask them to guess how much our scanning equipment cost; it was like his go to icebreaker. He was extremely knowledgeable and everyone always went to him when we didn’t know what a certain format of film was. It was an honor to work with such a passionate and intellectual man. “
– Alyssa M.
“Roger was so talented, friendly and hilarious. He was a staple at EverPresent and I will truly miss him. I will especially miss his extra close up portrait photos at the EP company parties :)”
– Jody L.
“Roger was my first ” heya!” every morning, and I will miss that greatly. He was someone who lived such a rich life, and was the first to exchange experiences and stories with you. I got to share a love for photography and music with him, but more importantly shared many chuckles along the way, which I’ll remember always!”
– Beth C.
“Every morning while walking in the office. Roger would stop what he was doing and make sure he connected with me and had a small chat. It was the highlight of my day. I will truly miss our random talks.”
– Tia P.
“Always a bright start to every day, the world is a darker place with this light now out. Rest in peace.”
– Ryan P.
“Roger always had a smile every morning as I walked into work. “
– Joanne
“I remember Roger as a steady, reliable presence with great stories to tell <3”
– Amy S., pictured above
