Roger Wolfe Milstein

Roger Milstein, who brightened countless lives through basketball, generosity, and his great love for life, died March 5, 2025. He leaves a legacy of confidence, poise and competitive greatness true to the legendary coach of his beloved UCLA Bruins, John Wooden, and his Pyramid of Success.

Roger was born July 21, 1934, in Los Angeles, graduating from University High School. He went on to UCLA, joining Phi Sigma Delta fraternity, where he and his brothers enjoyed hijinks that may or may not have involved a cow in a brother’s bedroom. After college, he was drafted and assigned to the motor pool. Once the Army realized he knew nothing about cars, he became a clerk-typist and pitched for the base baseball team. He then joined his father, Meyer, in Meyer’s Los Angeles collection agency, then a storefront business where his mother, Claire, assisted and answered the phone. His father later retired and Roger’s keen business sense turned the company into a highly-regarded California collection agency with more than 100 employees at its peak.

He married Roberta Cameron, a dental hygienist, in 1964 and had two children, Michael and Mark. They lived in Sherman Oaks, spending many weekends at the Sand and Sea beach club in Santa Monica where he played competitive paddle tennis. The family traveled to Sun Valley, Idaho; Hawaii, and Big Bear. He coached Michael and Mark in park basketball leagues and became an avid runner, exercising daily. He held season tickets to UCLA basketball games and saw many friends at the games at Pauley Pavilion. When business was good, he rewarded Best Service Company employees with office trips to Hawaii. Roberta developed Multiple Sclerosis and their marriage ended in 1992.

He pursued his love of basketball by assembling a club basketball team of young men he met through sports and elsewhere, creating Team Avia and a cadre of "fatboys," as he and his players often called each other. He built connections with college coaches across the country that often led to scholarships for his players to top universities. In a 1993 profile, the Los Angeles Times said, “teamwork, passing and defense are prominent in the vocabulary of Coach Roger Milstein. So are character and class.” He often hired young players at the Best Service Co. and was known for always having time to talk with and counsel employees.

He met Sheila Fogel, a travel agent who also loved sports. They married on the beach in Hawaii in 1995 surrounded by their families and friends. Roger and Sheila traveled with friends and enjoyed golf, dining with friends, and visiting their families. After selling his business in 2013, he continued advising and mentoring promising young basketball players, focusing on grades, practice, and work experience. He wasted no opportunity to share laminated copies of Wooden’s Pyramid of Success with everyone from restaurant waiters to hospital nurses. Survivors include his loving wife Sheila, sons Michael and Mark, stepdaughters Nicole and Melinda, and grandsons Daniel and Luca, who adored him. His enthusiasm, loyalty, and empathy remain in the hearts of his many dear friends and loving family.

A celebration of Roger’s life will be held later. Donations in Roger’s memory to the Wooden Athletic Fund.