A memorial service for Roger Steven Phares will be held at 3 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Poulsbo Eagles Hall on Lincoln Road.

Phares, 63, died Aug. 2, while vacationing in Nicaragua.

He was born Aug. 9, 1941, in Princeton, N.J. Leaving New Jersey in the 1960s, he traveled to Alaska to join family members working in Fairbanks. He became a surveyor for the state, surveying the Denali Highway, where he met his future wife, Pamla Spurgin of Cantwell, Alaska.

After marrying in 1963, they lived in College, Alaska, for many years. Avid BMW motorcyclists, they made numerous winter trips to Mexico by motorcycle.

Roger joined Jim Hitchcock in building log cabins in the Fairbanks area. He mastered this trade and developed new building techniques, and eventually became a master carpenter.

In 1968, their son, Joe David, was born in Smithers, Canada.

Returning to Fairbanks, Roger built a motorcycle repair shop. His racing experience in New Jersey was instrumental in starting motocross racing at the Tanana Valley Fairgrounds in the early 1970s.

He enjoyed organizing races for local enthusiasts and could tune an engine to high-performance. He also raised goats.

When Joe was 18 months old, the family completed an exciting round trip to Mexico from Fairbanks by motorcycle and sidecar. The following years he enjoyed raising his son and living a life of adventure. Roger also enjoyed music and played mandolin and saxophone, and spent many nights jamming with friends.

By this time, he had become a skilled carpenter and built a jet boat, and many homes. The family spent many summers plying the Tanana and Yukon rivers, playing music and socializing with friends. A few winters were spent living and working in Hawaii. The whole family rode bicycles for weeks or months on the Big Island.

He and Pamla divorced in 1983. Roger and his son moved to Bainbridge Island, where he worked as a carpenter and mechanic and played music at various venues. He met Diane Ericson and they had a son, Charles Robert Ericson. After a few years, the couple parted.

Roger is survived by his parents, Robert and Ronna Phares; sons Joe Phares and Charlie Ericson; grandsons Ian and Owen Phares; sister, Linda Rezvani; and brothers David, Gordon and Noel Phares and John Calvert.

Guests are asked to bring a dish to share at the Oct. 16 potluck wake. Musicians are welcome to bring their instrument and join in to remember Roger “and have one last jam for him.”