Dr. Roger W. Lundin of Wheaton, Illinois died suddenly at home on Friday, November 13, 2015. He was Professor of English and Arthur F. Holmes Professor of Faith and Learning at Wheaton College .

Roger was born on July 15, 1949 in Rockford, Illinois. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1971, subsequently earning a Master's Degree in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Seminary and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Connecticut.

Roger returned to Wheaton College in 1978, teaching there for over thirty-seven years. He was a passionate professor, beloved by students for his dynamic teaching style, his wise spiritual mentorship, and his love of literary works ranging from King Lear to The Brothers Karamazov to the poetry of Emily Dickinson. He had a remarkable ability to link literature with questions about faith, doubt, and the mysteries of human existence.

A prolific, award-winning, and widely-respected scholar, Roger wrote extensively on the intersection between religion and literature. His many books include Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief (1998); Believing Again: Doubt and Faith in a Secular Age (2009); and Beginning with the Word: Modern Literature and the Question of Belief (2014). Roger served as the President of the Conference on Christianity and Literature and was a visiting professor at Calvin College, Regent College (Vancouver), and the University of Notre Dame. Most recently, he spent the spring of 2014 as a Visiting Fellow in Theology and the Arts at the Duke Divinity School. (For more on Roger's academic career, please see the remembrance at the Wheaton College website. )

Roger was deeply committed to his church (Immanuel Presbyterian, Warrenville) and to his family. He was a faithful husband to Sue, the love of his life for 43 years. And he was a loving and dedicated father who delighted in inventing games and improvising stories for his children. He never tired of telling each member of his family how much he loved them. Through his teaching and scholarship, he found numerous opportunities to travel throughout North America and Europe with his family.

Roger was preceded in death by his father Willard Lundin, his mother Catherine, his sister, Mercia, and his brother, Gordon. He is survived by his wife, Sue; his children, Matthew, Kirsten and Thomas; and his grandchildren, Theo, Sebastian, Desmond, Phoebe, Cameron, Elias and Alexander.

Visitation will be held at Hultgren Funeral Home on Friday, November 20 from 4 pm to 8 pm.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 21 at 1 pm at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton .