Born in Marengo, Illinois, on Valentine’s Day in 1924, Roger C. Bertram joined the Navy at the age of 18 when the United States was fighting in World War II. Roger served in the military until 1973. He married Rita J. Bertram in 1953, and the couple relocated to Genoa, Illinois, in the early 1980s. Before Roger’s death, he included in his will the desire to create a Fund with the DeKalb County Community Foundation. The Fund he established supports the DeKalb County Animal Shelter (Barn on Baseline) with an annual disbursement used to benefit the care of animals at the shelter. Roger passed away on September 19, 2002, at the age of 78. In his memory, the Bertram Animal Shelter Endowment Fund leaves a legacy of love and support.