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Sig Roland, 91

Sig Roland was born in Brest, Poland, April 3, 1926. He was the youngest of six children growing up on a farm.

When Russia invaded Poland, he and his family, along with many other Polish families, were sent to a Siberian Concentration Camp where they remained until Russia joined the Allies in World War II. Upon release, his family and others were moved to several British Colonies. Sig ended up in Palestine where he attended military academy. Upon completion, he enlisted in the Polish Air Force based in England.

After World War II, he received a scholarship to the University of Manchester where he graduated as a mechanical engineer. His first job was in Canada and then he was recruited by Aerojet to come to the USA to work in the space industry as a design engineer. (There is a part in the rockets that he designed.) He became a proud American citizen. Worked in Sacramento, Calif., in engineering prior to moving to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he worked as an auditor at the INEEL. Upon retiring, he moved to Post Falls, Idaho.

Sig is survived by his wife, Pat; daughters Roselle (Mike) Nerney and Adria (Ed) Schulz; stepson Tim (Jacqueline) Gray; as well as grandchildren Kevin, Brian and Christine Nerney, Jessica and Clayton Schulz, Cheymarie, and Rosie, Austin and Oliver Gray; and great-grandchildren Joshua and Lia Nerney.

Sig loved landscaping and created some beautiful gardens. He knew all the plants, flowers and trees. He loved to talk to the birds. He would whistle and they would whistle back.

He loved his family and God. He was a great husband, father and man. He was strong, optimistic and generous. His favorite saying was, “keep smiling.”

In lieu of flowers, if you’d like, make donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 14, 2017, at St. George Catholic Church in Post Falls.

Please sign and view Sig’s online registry at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.