When hurrying between classes, many students and faculty would take a detour to the Sanford Deli to grab lunch or a snack—but mainly to see Roger. His sincerity and infectious wit made him a memorable presence on campus until he passed away last week.
Roger Dubay, 50, was found dead in his Durham home June 1. It appears that the death was from natural causes, and there were no signs of foul play, said Kammie Michael, public information officer for the Durham Police Department.
The police found Dubay after receiving a phone call from Steve Eller, director of operations for Alpine Bagels, which owns the Sanford Deli. Eller went to Dubay’s home to check on him when he did not report for work May 31. Dubay never missed a day of work in five years, Eller said.
Eller added that an autopsy was performed Thursday, but he does not know the results. Dubay suffered from diabetes, but it is unclear if that contributed to his death.
Originally from Spring Lake, N.C., Dubay was general manager of Sanford Deli, the public policy-themed eatery at the Sanford School of Public Policy, for the past seven years. He also worked part time as a leasing agent at Pinnacle Ridge Apartments. Prior to that, he managed several other sandwich shops in North Carolina.
Despite his avid support of the Dallas Cowboys, Dubay was as big of a Duke fan as any student.
“He lived and breathed Duke—he was a diehard Dukie, that’s for sure,” Eller said. “His house [is] full of Duke memorabilia, stuff that had been signed for him by students.”
Many students considered Dubay a staple at Sanford. He always took the time to personally greet each customer.
“Even if he didn’t know you by name, he would look at your DukeCard before he swiped it and would address you,” said George Pearkes, a senior. “You really notice he’s catching the details. He always made an effort to have some kind of personal relationship with the customer. Roger was the classic definition of a people person.”
Braveen Ragunanthan, a senior, said he saw Dubay on a weekly basis and considered him one of his best friends.
“My friendship with Roger really made Duke my home away from home,” Ragunanthan said. “A lot of people say they can’t imagine Sanford without Roger, but I can’t even fathom Duke without Roger. He is irreplaceable.”
Dubay found satisfaction in working toward his goals. Senior Philippe Clary wrote in an email that his fondest memory of the restauranteur was the day Dubay said he bought his own house.
“I could tell he genuinely felt like the greatest man alive, but humbly told me about his accomplishment,” Clary said. “After years of sincerely working hard, he had achieved his dream—the American dream. He told me that day, ‘You know man, it’s good to work for your goals, but always enjoy working to get there.’”
Dana Weiner, Trinity ’11, said Dubay helped her maintain perspective when she was struggling to sort out her post-graduation plans. For Dubay, some things were more important than status.
“Roger looked at me and told me about his brother’s prestigious job, and then about his own satisfaction with his career,” Weiner wrote in an email. “Roger was telling me that as long as I loved what I was doing, the title by my name was irrelevant. And that really stuck with me, because Roger was one of the few who practiced what he preached.”
Dubay is survived by his sister and two brothers. A memorial service was held last night at Pinnacle Ridge Apartments. Another service will likely be held for the Duke community in the next few weeks.
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