Roy Dwyer

Published 10:06 am Thursday, July 28, 2022

August 17, 1933 – July 18, 2022

Roy Dwyer of Bend, died on July 18th surrounded by family after suffering a stroke on July 9th. He was 88.

Roy was born on August 17, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James and Mildred “Millie” Dwyer. Roy left high school in the ninth grade, when he was 15 years old, to join the United States Air Force. He served in the US Air Force from 1949-1953, earning his GED along the way, and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sargent and a Korean War Veteran. After his military service ended, Roy attended the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and later transferred to the University of Oregon where he majored in Political Science and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1959. Roy then attended the University of Oregon School of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 1962.

After graduating law school, Roy hung out his shingle in Eugene. He practiced law in Oregon since 1962, where he grew his firm, Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, P.C., to six locations across the state. His desire to help the underdog guided him toward a specific goal – to hold individuals and corporations accountable for careless and negligent acts that injure or kill innocent people. In 1982 he decided to practice exclusively in the area of personal injury. He’s argued numerous cases before the Oregon Supreme Court and had decades of experience handling cases of medical malpractice, car crashes, workplace accidents, dangerous and defective products, dangerous premises, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death.

Roy was president and educational director of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association from 1977 through 1978, serving two terms in that capacity. Additionally, he served as president of the Western Trial Lawyers Association and on the board of the American Trial Lawyer Association. He was also a member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Moreover, he was a charter fellow of the Oregon Law Foundation, a member of the Melvin Belli Society and the J.R. Campbell American Inns of Court. During his nearly 60-year career as an attorney, Roy had the privilege of practicing law with both his son, Jim Dwyer, and son-in-law, Tim Williams.

Roy married Judy Jeffries in 1959 in Walla Walla, WA, and the two had three children – Jim, Jennifer, and Shannon. After Roy and Judy’s divorce, Roy fell in love with Jan Gaswint. The two married in 1975 and had one child together – Pamela. Roy and Jan moved to Sunriver in 1985 and expanded his firm to the Bend area before moving back to Eugene in 1991. They lived in Eugene until 2000 and have since made Bend their home for the last 22 years. Roy always enjoyed spending time with his family, including his four children, their spouses, and his grandchildren.

Roy was a staple at local coffee shops for decades, where he knew more people than he could count. Whether it was at Full City Coffee in Eugene, or at Cup of Magic, and later Bellatazza and Thump in Bend. You could also find him at the Bend Downtown Athletic Club or Athletic Club of Bend on nearly any day of the week.

When he wasn’t at the office or in the gym, Roy was an avid backpacker and hiker. There was rarely a time when he wasn’t training for a long backpacking trip. Some of Roy’s more notable hikes include the Grand Canyon, the High Sierras, the Pacific Crest Trail, a trek through Nepal, as well as hiking the Great Wall of China. Roy also thoroughly enjoyed traveling around the world. He has visited Laos, Malaysia, China, Japan, the Middle East, and most of Europe. In both 2002 and 2003, he traveled to Vietnam and rode his bicycle from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City – a distance of 1,000 miles per trip. In November 2011, Roy trekked through Patagonia for two weeks, and in 2013 he hiked around Mt. Blanc for his 80th birthday.

Roy is survived by his wife of over 47 years Jan Dwyer, his son Jim Dwyer and his wife Jan of Portland, Oregon (children Caitlyn and Adair), his daughters Jennifer Abdul Jabar and her husband Mohammed of Doha, Qatar (children Omar and Tessniem and husband Abdurahman), Shannon Dwyer of Seattle, Washington (children Julius and Dominique and her children Amora and Eliana) and Pam Williams and her husband Tim of Bend, Oregon (children Emerson and Elliott), his two brothers Bill Dwyer (Oregon) and Jerry Dwyer (Pennsylvania), his three sisters Mary Ippolito (New Jersey), Joan Oprysko (Pennsylvania) and Beth Singer (Maryland) and many nieces and nephews.

Roy will forever be remembered by many as a world adventurist. There are few he didn’t get along with, and could always find common ground in conversation – often over a cup of coffee. He truly cared about his friends, his family, and those he met on his many travels. His family at home always looked forward to hearing him recount his many trips. And now he is off on his next adventure in the Great Unknown. We look forward to the day we will once again regale our experiences with him, and trust he’s keeping a cup warm for each of us.

A celebration of life will be held at Tetherow Golf Resort in Bend on August 17, 2022. Memorial contributions can be made to Bethlehem Inn, The Shephard’s House or The Sparrow Club of Central Oregon.