Edward “Ned” Baker Roesler ’57


Edward “Ned” Baker Roesler ’57 passed away on December 23, 2009, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He came to Dartmouth from the Choate School. While at Dartmouth he majored in English and was a member of Sigma Nu, the cross country team, Le Cercle Francais and the ski patrol. He then joined the Army, studied Russian, served two years in Germany and obtained a master’s in German at Middlebury. Ned was a dreamer who made many of his dreams come true. He was a German professor at SUNY Oneonta and a leader for seven student groups to Europe and the former Soviet Union. He worked on Wall Street and was a freelance photographer, hiking guide, newspaper reporter, emergency medical technician, teen center director and fundraiser. For 10 years before retirement he found his truest calling as a certified nurse’s aide. Ned began long-distance solo backpacking in his late 30s, hiking 1,800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, 400 miles in Canada’s Jasper National Park, and finally a 300-mile, 70-day, nearly fatal trip along the Brooks Range in Alaska. He also ran many road races, founding two of them. Ned married Karen Cihiwsky and moved to Meriden, Connecticut, in 1982. He participated in many community activities, including an ecumenical refugee program and a local neighborhood association. He participated in many initiatives supporting children’s education and spent countless volunteer hours at school reading to and with children and helping them with homework. Ned is survived by Karen, five children, one sister and many other family members.