James Roper

James Edward Roper, age 82, of Holt, MI, peacefully passed away with his family at his side Friday, October 16th, 2020 near Grand Rapids Michigan after a short but hard-fought battle with esophageal cancer. He was preceded by his parents Carl and Irene Roper. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Joan, his children Daniel Roper and Michelle Kitze, their spouses Kelly Roper and Art Kitze, his sister Sandy Kerr, her husband Bob, their children Matt, his family, and Jackie. He was a doting grandfather to Camryn and Darcy Roper, Matthew and Stephen Kitze, and his step-grandchildren Jake and Drake Morse. Jim was known for his deadpan humor and quick wit. Jim enjoyed movies and would frequently pull scenes out of favorite films that had philosophical significance and play them in his philosophy classes for discussion. Be it movie critic or philosopher he never shied away from sharing his views, often to both the enlightenment and entertainment of those around him. To say Jim was “a talker” would be an understatement. But for those who knew Jim, having a conversation with him was typically an amazing, entertaining, and educational experience. You just needed to make sure your afternoon was clear of scheduled activities before you start the conversation! Jim was the best father any son or daughter could have hoped to have. Throughout their youth, son Dan and daughter Michelle enjoyed their fathers love, time, and commitment. Nearly every weekend of their childhood was spend traveling to running races and various other sporting events with his children. And it was during many of these travels that life’s lessons were taught to his children, and sure enough, dad was always right! As an undergraduate, James attended the George Washington University in Washington, DC. After graduate work at Princeton University, he joined the Philosophy Department at Michigan State University in 1964. James recently retired from teaching in 2018 after a distinguished career of 54 years. While at MSU, James founded the MSU debate team in 1984 and was the Director and Head Coach until 2000. The Debate team quickly became nationally acclaimed, winning multiple national championships, and in 2005 was awarded the best debate team in the US for the preceding 15 years. To honor this legacy, we ask that in leu of flowers, donations be made to the MSU Debate endowment fund which he created. A link to learn more about Jim’s connection to MSU debate and to donate can be found at here: https://debate.msu.edu/debate/news/former-msu-director-debate-dr-james-roper-passes-away . A private remembrance of life will be celebrated with family in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, October 21st from 6:30 to 8 PM. For those interested in participating in the Zoom video celebration of life contact Dan Roper at roperdan@msu.edu.