Roger "Bo" Quiroga, 70 years young, beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, stepfather, mentor, coach, retired professional baseball player, and three term Mayor of the City of Galveston, was called up for the last time, Sunday, January 14th, 2024.  Bo left this mortal field peacefully surrounded by his family at Jennie Sealy Hospital in the heart of his beloved island.

Bo was born on March 25th, 1953, in Galveston, Texas to Jose Angel Quiroga and Josephine Gonzales Quiroga. The 14th of 15 Quiroga children, he was born already on a team. Teams would define a great deal of Bo's life, from the Little Leagues, Colt League, Pony League, American Legion Ball and the Ball High Varsity team (where he was as an integral member of the 1971 Tor varsity baseball team that advanced to the state playoffs - the first team to do so in the school's history,) to being drafted by the Washington Senators in the first round of the 1971 June Amateur Draft.  He would ultimately compile a 77-game pitching career with the Phillies organization and join the Nuevo Leon team in Mexico before a career ending injury to his rotator cuff.

Upon his return to Galveston, "Ironman" Quiroga, a nickname he'd earned for his pitching arm, would shift his focus to starting his own family, building the community through coaching and mentorship and begin his remarkable and lifelong journey into the business and public sectors, ultimately leading the way for Galveston's economic resurgence from near bankruptcy.

During his three terms as mayor of the City of Galveston, from 1998 - 2004, he would oversee and collaborate on countless projects that contribute to the island's economy today, such as the Galvez Mall redevelopment, bringing Schlitterbahn and Academy to Galveston and the creation of the 4B sales tax which would create the Galveston Economic Development Partnership, and that's just his mayoral highlight reel.

Ever the team player, Bo served on numerous community boards including the Galveston Chamber of Commerce - on which he would serve as Chairman, the Rotary Club of Galveston, the Galveston Housing Authority, the Galveston Wharves Board, Chairman of the Economic Development Corporation and the Galveston College Board of Regents, to name a few.

His coaching career would span a couple of decades and he was a mentor to a generation of Galveston athletes.  These contributions were recognized in March of 2023 when the Galveston Independent School District honored his lifelong commitment to baseball and the youth of Galveston when they dedicated their new fields in his honor.  He would say at the dedication ceremony that it was the greatest day of his life, other than the birth of his beloved daughters and granddaughters and the day he married Denise.

Time with his family was incredibly precious to Bo. Sunday Fundays, gambling trips, massages from his grandkids, the holidays, specifically Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving, were what he lived for.  He will be missed beyond measure by his family, his friends, those he mentored and the whole of Galveston.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents Jose Angel Quiroga and Josephine Gonzales Quiroga, sisters Viola Quiroga, Dorothy Quiroga, Yolanda Quiroga, Mercedes Garcia Guerreros, Mary Garcia Morales and Guadelupe and Garcia Doreck, along with his only brother, Galveston City Councilman, Bill Quiroga.

He is survived by the love of his life, his wife Denise Quiroga, and his loving daughters Melanie Buck (Timothy) and Melinda Kershaw (Ricky), Brothers and sisters Edward Garcia, Richard Garcia (Vicky), Joe Quiroga Jr., George Quiroga (Genia), David Quiroga (Julie), Gipsy Quiroga and Butch Quiroga (Bonnie.)  Grandchildren Jolee Kershaw, Lily Kershaw, Cora Jo Buck, and Emma Buck as well as his daughter-in-law Amy Peace and bonus grandchildren Alyssa and Bradyn. He also leaves behind his God daughter Amber Salgado (Jose) and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Bo's team of pallbearers will be his son-in-law's Tim Buck and Ricky Kershaw, along with lifelong friends Bobo Conde, David Ewald, Bradyn Peace, Robert Quintero, Johnny Smecca, Stefan Stamoulis and Charlie Killibrew.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Jim Gideon, David Clyde and Branko Gligoric.

The family would like to thank the team at MD Anderson, Carnes Brothers Funeral Home and the Smecca family during this time.

Visitation will be held from 4-8PM at Carnes Brothers Funeral Home in Galveston on Friday, January 19th, and a Rosary will be recited at 6:30 PM. Funeral services will be 1:00PM, Saturday, January 20th, at Sacred Heart Church in Galveston, with an immediate graveside service at Hayes Grace Memorial Park in Hitchcock.  After the graveside service, the family wishes to invite guests to a reception to celebrate Bo's life and legacy at Mario's on the Seawall at 3:00PM.