Roscoe was a lifelong member of New Oak Ridge M.B. Church.  It was his family’s home church.  He was a very active member until his health began to fail.  Even then he mad sure he supported the church financially.  He always had the church’s business interest at heart.

He held several leadership positions.  He was the superintendent of Sunday school for many, many years.  Whether the attendance was large or small, he would still have Sunday school faithfully every Sunday.  He was Lead Deacon for several years as well.  He was also the treasurer and trustee of the church.

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He worked as a farmer, a land surveyor for Hinds County, a security guard for Oakley Training Center, and a building supervisor for Jackson Hinds Health Care Center.  He was a Worshipful Master in the Masonic Lodge.  After retirement, he worked as a security guard for Jackson Hinds Health Care Center.

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Through his work, he paid all of the back taxes on the home place, which was almost lost to unpaid taxes.  When Roscoe applied for a loan, the bank loan officer stressed to him that this was a lot of responsibility for a person of his young age.  He worked and paid off the loan as he had promised.  After purchasing the land and home house back, the lawyer and court advised him to put the land in his name only.  He told them “No”. He wanted to keep it in his parents’ name so that he could share it equally with his siblings as he felt his parents would have appreciated.

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Many years later he had the land surveyed and divided equally amongst each of his siblings and himself.

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Because of all the sacrifices he made for his family, we are all able to share in the heritage that would have been lost to the government for overdue taxes.  It is with this belief that anything is possible if you put God first and have a strong desire.

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Although he could not finish school, he encouraged his siblings and children to get an education.  He felt it was a wonderful blessing for his parents’ 11 children to have a member of their family with a degree of some sort to hang on their walls.  He was sure the children of George and Queen Esther gave their children a hand in getting their degrees.  To those who did not get a degree, he shared this true story.

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There was a man, Philo Funchess, who lived in the Newman community.  He did not go to school a day in his life; however, his name was printed in national magazines for inventing the snake catcher.  This goes to show you that you don’t have to have a degree on the wall to use your mind to do the best of your ability.  We all can be creative and productive in one way or another.

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Roscoe was always very excited when it was time for our family reunions.  He believed in keeping the family together.  He would glow when family members came around him.

After 38 years of commitment to our reunions, he with sadness and happiness passed on his responsibilities as chairperson and treasurer as of July 23, 1990 to the second generation (grandchildren of George and Queen Esther) to carry on the family reunions.

Roscoe believed that as we embark on a new course, we should remember all the places we, along with all of our ancestors, have been and the people who made our lives rich and full.  His dream was that the next generation be as successful and productive as his generation in keeping the Mace family history and reunions alive.