Rev. Donald Roe (1925-2009) was born in Elmira, New York. He graduated Horseheads High School in 1942. For years, he worked as a dairy farmer in Sullivanville before being called to the Methodist ministry at age 28. In 1959, he graduated from the Mansfield State College and then took up study at the Colgate Rochester School of Divinity. He was ordained as a pastor in the United Methodist Conference of Churches in 1963. His relevant local appointments included Newtown Creek Methodist Church, Big Flats Methodist Church, and Erin and Sullivanville Methodist Church. At various times, he held other appointments throughout New York State including in Skaneateles, Minoa, and Syracuse. He also worked as a chaplain at the Onondaga County Jail. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was also involved in a number of missionary and educational trips throughout Central and South America. Rev. Roe was heavily involved in the community and expressed his views and concerns often in letters to the editors of local newspapers. He and his wife, Faye, had three children: Rebeccca, Gary, and Leslie.